05/02/2020
Wasp season.
Well wasp season is well and truly underway, and we have been receiving multiple calls to treat nests both large and small..
This month is also "Wasp Wipeout" month in NZ. The target wasps are German and common wasp populations, and also paper wasps. Wasps have no natural predators in NZ, and they take out food sources that every native animal relies on.
I have included some pictures of a particularly large wasp nest we have just dealt with. This nest was 'huge', and was inside an old stump from a felled tree, which was subsequently disturbed by a digger. The wasps were extremely aggressive, and had been causing problems stinging people.
I have also shown a picture of a small paper wasp nest which we found on our own property yesterday. It was on a shed door. Needless to say it has now been dealt with. So keep alert for these appearing at your place. Paper wasp nests are quite small, (our one was quite new), and as you will see from the pictures are grey and papery looking. They usually appear on fences, under the eaves etc. The wasps themselves can be identified by their long back legs which dangle as they fly. Paper wasps are harder to get rid of, as they only eat live prey, so are not attracted to bait or poison. They are also not discerning on what prey they go after, and eat both beneficial insects such as honey bees, dragonflies etc, as well as pests. They can be just as aggressive as other wasps, particularly when sprayed, so care is needed when dealing to the nest.
