WASPS SPREADING QUICKLY: SEEN AT WHAKATANE

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 13, Issue 35, 20 December 1948, Page 5

WASPS SPREADING QUICKLY: SEEN AT WHAKATANE

Serious Nuisance To Orchardists Wasps of the species vespa germanica, first noticed in New Zealand in the Waikato district, about 1945, have been seen in Whakatane lately and it is feared that unless steps are taken to control them, they may soon become a serious nuisance throughout the Bay of Plenty.

Now a menace in the Waikato, these wasps are spreading, and they have been reported as far south as Hawera and even Palmerston North. Not Serious—Yet Present indications are that wasps are not common in the Bay of Plenty yet, and they appear to have just reached Whakatane. But unless some action is taken they may soon spread to alarming proportions.

These wasps are of the common sort well known in England and European countries. They are easily recognised, by their large size and the fact that they are the earliest wasps on the wing. The queen wasp, which does all the breeding has distinctive markings of black and bright yellow on the body and is about 1| inches long. They are the most important insect and it is against them that war is waged. The workers and drones are somewhat smaller than the queens. Life History The life history of the young queen wasp is interesting. They are raised in the autumn and after mating, libernate singly or in groups in some dark, sheltered corner. With the exception of the newly-emerg-ed young queens, all the community, including the old queen, die off in the autumn, and the old nest is abandoned. . . '' In the spring the young queen awakens and immediately hunts for most suitable place (usually a ca,vity in a dry earth bank) to begin building her nest. These wasps protect their many tiers of brood cells by building a bag of several layers of fragile paper, made from wood pulp prepared by their own jaws and placed securely in position. Only a few cells made of the same papery material are built at first, and a single egg is laid in each. When these eggs hatch the resulting grubs are fed by the queen on a diet of masticated insects of all kinds, which she catches herself. As each grub grows the queen builds up the cell walls Jhexagonally and also begins other cells round them in which more eggs 'are deposited. Difficult To Find The nest is very difficult to find and the only trace of it usually, is a small hole in the ground. It is through this opening the special powder is blown to kill the wasps. So' concerned has the Department of Agriculture become in the wasp menace that it now offers a bounty of threepence for every queen caught. It also supplies the powder free of charge. By next month the wasp nest will have become well established and there are usually then, more workers than are necessary to maintain the normal economy of the nest. It is from this time until late autumn when they become a nuisance to housewives, beekeepers and orchardists because of their fondness for sweets, including jam and fruit juices. Spreading Quickly

These wasps are spreading jnore quickly every year and to keep them in check the Department of Agriculture has asked for the assistance of the public. If any nest is found then the department, if notified, will arrange to have it destroyed. , It is realised that wasps can now, never be completely cleared from New Zealand, but with everyone watching for them they can be checked from becoming a serious nuisance.