Source: Radio New Zealand
Yellow-legged hornets are an invasive species, and a danger to local honey and wild bees. Biosecurity NZ
The number of yellow-legged hornet queens found in Auckland has risen to 45 – 32 of them with nests.
Biosecurity New Zealand said it had an excellent response from the public, with 10,270 notifications of suspected sightings.
Even though only a small number of them were actually hornets, the organisation urged Aucklanders to stay on the lookout.
It expected to find more this summer and there were dozens of traps around the city, mostly on the North Shore.
Biosecurity teams were also attaching tiny trackers onto worker hornets to try to lead them to nests.
The hornets had only been found in Auckland.
Biosecurity NZ believed it was unlikely they were outside of the city.
The hornets were a risk to bee populations – they eat them but could also compete with them food if they became established.
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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand
