Should we be worried? Is our biosecurity robust enough to handle this predator? Here are my thoughts on the response.
I am part of the biosecurity response team working to eradicate the yellow legged hornet (YLH) from New Zealand. I’m not directly employed by MPI, but with the surveillance company tasked with the response and overseen by Biosecurity New Zealand. This is a new predator in Aotearoa, so while there was a plan in place we did not have direct experience dealing with the YLH. It is important to note that it has altered its lifecycle and behaviour slightly as it is adapting to our environment, so we can’t directly transfer overseas experience and knowledge as there will be subtle differences that have ramifications down the line. We are being advised by experts from the UK, who have been battling the YLH for a decade. We have a varied team including well-respected local beekeepers who work in bee related biosecurity for different agencies and people who have made biosecurity their life long career. Irrespective of our CVs, we are all passionate and well aware of the need to succeed. At the time of writing this, they have only been found on the North Shore but we must all be vigilant to ensure that they don’t spread further afield.
I am fortunate to be on the hornet treatment team (Hornet Death Squad). Once a nest has been identified we work out a plan, no two nests are exactly the same, to safely terminate it; returning 24 hours later to collect every remnant of the nest and send it to the laboratory for analysis. We wait a day so that any stragglers that return to the nest will get poisoned.
Finding a Nest
MPI traps are checked regularly and reports from members of the public are followed up. When YLH activity has been identified (winnowed out from well-intentioned wasp reports) feeding stations are put out and observed; after a flight path has been observed (or two or three), the YLH are marked with a coloured paint and timed. The feeding station is moved closer until a likely site has been identified. Tracers triangulate flight paths to find the nest, if it is hidden in dense bush or up a high tree, the hornet is then captured and tagged with a tiny electronic transmitter. Once the team are in place, the YLH is released and the receivers triangulate the signals to find the nest. It could be in the ground, in a rotten log or high up a tree, depending on whether it is a primary or secondary nest. The site is then marked on our app and the treatment team swing into action. We do not take chances being stung, even the trackers wear protective suits. When treating a nest we can have dozens of YLH attack, so we wear the thickest hornet suit, leather gloves and boots with cuffs taped up. We wear visors to protect from the venom that can be sprayed into the eyes. We also wear half face respirators to protect from the insecticides used. Secondary nests are usually quite high up a tree which require specialised arborists, who not only wear all the hornet PPE but also their safety gear and climbing harness, hot work indeed.
Should we be worried?
They are terrifying wee beasties and the thought of them becoming established drives me forward every day. They would likely decimate our honey bees and native pollinators, impacting our crops that are essential to our export revenue. More worrying though is the thought that these hornets could sting our children at play in gardens throughout New Zealand. I believe that we will eradicate them, but it won’t be quick or easy.
How can you help?
- Put out hornet traps
- Regularly monitor the traps
- Report any YLH sightings to MPI, preferably with a photo
- Look out for YLHs when out in your garden, farm or the bush
- Educate yourself to be able to easily identify them; check out the MPI website
- Politely counter misinformation on social media
- Spread the word amongst friends, family and neighbours
- DO NOT capture hornets or attempt to destroy nests; report them so that we can safely trace them back to their nest
- They are a notifiable pest and it is not permitted for you to move them; it is also dangerous as they have a very painful sting
Together we can eliminate the yellow legged hornet and keep New Zealand safe from this predator. I ask you to work with the response team and follow updates on the MPI website.
Ken Brown
Apiculture Tutor, Land Based Training Ltd
President Auckland Beekeepers Club
