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 hadn’t 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. 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 NZ’s 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.
Source: stuff.co.nz