In the Winter of 2025 we reached out to New Zealanders who loved the outdoors to find out what they knew about wasps. We were keen to know if people could tell pest wasps from harmless ones; if people were aware of the damage that pest wasps cause and what controls were in place, both in gardens and at larger conservation sites. Responses would guide our planning and education efforts.
Click the link below for the interim analysis of the data that was collected, many thanks to Kiran Thodiyil Kanakambujan. We should have his final report by the end of August.
Preliminary Report: Pest Wasp Survey
If you go outdoors in the summer you’ll know about pest wasps. New Zealanders care deeply about protecting monarch butterflies and know the numbers of monarchs are being affected by these wasps. But what about other native wildlife? Over the summer of 2024-5 many people shared concerns about the damage these wasps are causing.
Brad Windust from Bay Bush Action Trust shared this video showing wasps attacking a wētā. Another video, thanks to Greg Coulter, shows a stick insect under attack.
How many other species are being affected? Please bookmark this page for updates!
