Invasive wasp, the lesser banded hornet, found in Auckland for first time – Stuff

A new invasive species of wasp has been found in St Marys Bay, central Auckland.

An information flier given to St Marys Bay residents this week by Biosecurity New Zealand said the non-native pest wasp hadnt been seen in Aotearoa, until now.

Biosecurity New Zealand is interested in any further sightings of this insect as we would like to be sure there are no others in the area.

Biosecurity NZ said it was investigating to ensure the single lesser banded hornet found was the only one in the area.

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The find comes after Queensland fruit flies put parts of the North Shore into a fruit and vegetable lockdown for almost a year from early 2019.

Biosecurity NZ said the lesser banded hornet, a type of wasp, was not thought to be established in New Zealand, but is widely found in South East Asia.

Biosecurity NZs manager of surveillance and incursion Dr Wendy McDonald said the hornet found was a worker hornet, and was not able to establish a population on its own.

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A lesser banded hornet, previously not found in New Zealand, has been detected in St Marys Bay, Auckland.

McDonald said no other lesser banded hornets had been found yet. She said Biosecurity NZ was still looking into how the hornet made its way into the country.

The hornets pose a risk to native wildlife by competing with native birds for nectar and fruit.

The lesser banded hornet is also known to feed on insects, including honey bees.

Much larger than other wasp species, the lesser banded hornet grows up to 3cm long, and has a brownish-red or black head, and dark brown legs. The front half of its abdomen is orange or yellow, with the rest black or dark brown.

The wings are a smoky brown colour and not transparent, like other common wasps.

Biosecurity NZ said there were five species of social wasps established in New Zealand.

The colour and markings on these species are quite different to the lesser banded hornet.

The lesser banded hornet, part of the Vespa species, is one of five hornets of biosecurity interest in Australia, New South Wales Department of Primary Industries said.

The New South Wales Department of Primary Industries said hornets use their stings to kill prey and defend their nests.

Barbara Smith/Stuff

Lesser banded hornets are about double size of paper wasps, pictured, which make a distinctive hexagon-patterned nest. (File photo)

Hornet stings are more painful to humans than a wasp sting because hornet venom contains a large amount of acetylcholine.

Individual hornets can sting repeatedly and, unlike honey bees or wasps, do not die after stinging because their stingers are not barbed and are not pulled out of their bodies.

Biosecurity NZ said this type of hornets nest can be as large as a football and is often found high up in trees, shrubs, and under the eaves of buildings.

If you see a nest, dont disturb it. Instead, take a photograph and report it to Biosecurity NZ using the online report form or call 0800 80 99 66.

These hornets can sting, so were not asking people to capture the insect or get too close, McDonald said.

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Invasive wasp, the lesser banded hornet, found in Auckland for first time - Stuff