German wasps launch stinging attack in Canterbury

German and common wasps have become a big problem in parts of Canterbury as their numbers grow in the hot and dry conditions.

The number of requests to the Selwyn District Council asking it to destroy wasp nests have skyrocketed, particularly in the Lincoln area which has been under siege from the stinging pest.

One Lincoln woman said she was stung while mowing her lawn, while Tayla Barbet who lives in the Barton Fields subdivision said her cat Jasper was rushed to the vet after he tried to eat a wasp.

District council reserves operations manager Jonathan Crawford said only six reports about wasp nests were received last year. But 11 requests to remove wasp nests had been made so far this year.  

“When we receive these, we send either our park maintenance contractors or a pest controller to destroy them,” Crawford said.  

The Lincoln woman who declined to be identified said the sting on her torso hurt for several days afterwards.

Barbet said her cat Jasper was lucky to survive after he caught the wasp last week. 

Barbet noticed the one-year-old fluffy black and white moggy was “spinning around and crying” before the insect dropped out of his mouth.

She phoned the vet as he was pawing furiously at his face and it quickly swelled up.

“He had to get adrenaline shots, his throat was going to start to close up,” she said. Jasper has since recovered.

Other residents had to call in pest controllers to destroy nests found in a range of places, including under a deck, inside an old speaker, in the garden, and at public reserves.

Lincoln ecologist Mike Bowie said there are two species of wasp in the district – the german wasp (Vespula germanica) and the common or european wasp (Vespula vulgaris). Both were introduced from Europe.

The number of wasps in New Zealand is expected to grow as the climate warms.

Bowie said the reports and observations of wasps submitted to the nature identification app, iNaturalist, suggested both species are active across the country but the german wasp is slightly more prevalent in Canterbury. 

Both species can sting repeatedly. They have similar markings and aggressiveness, although the german wasp is slightly smaller. 

Bowie said he recently discovered a nest of german wasps at the Lincoln University arboretum. He attempted to kill them by placing insecticide dust.

“They do seem to be quite busy in Lincoln at the moment,” Bowie said.

His advice to others is to only approach a nest early in the morning or late evening when the temperature is cool.

“Get advice from the hardware shop on products to use. Insecticide powder just in the entrance of a nest usually works well,” he said.

Darfield pest controller Brian Walker said the wasp population usually increases at this time of year. 

On average he destroys two nests a week. His recent jobs included removing a nest from outside the bowling club at Darfield after members reported being stung. 

Walker was also called to a school in North Canterbury where a nest was found in the roof.

“When we start having frosts in the morning, it will quieten them down a bit,” he said.