According to Phil Lester, Professor of Biology at the School of Biological Sciences, VUW, the yellow-legged hornet would likely establish and spread throughout much of New Zealand, based on its distribution in Europe.
He said that it is a major predator of pollinators, including honey bees and that in areas of Europe, there have been high amounts of colony loss as a consequence of this hornet's invasion (up to 70 or 80 percent in some areas, but 30 percent is often seen), which would be devastating for the beekeeping industry.
“Honey bees have been estimated to provide NZD five billion to the New Zealand economy annually. The kiwi fruit industry, avocados, stone fruit, and many other crops rely on them. People also forget that they are vital for pasture pollination and key to plants such as clover. Thus, they play a major role in our dairy industry as well.”
Lester added that the number of hives in New Zealand has declined from around 900,000 in 2019 to around 500,000. Part of that decline is that beekeeping has become increasingly challenging due to existing pests, rising costs, and low honey prices. If the hornet established itself, it would represent another major cost for beekeepers.
“I’d guess more people will leave the industry, and we’d see even fewer hives and bees in New Zealand. I think we have a small window of time to control and eradicate it.”
He mentioned that if it spreads wider than Auckland and builds up numbers, eradication will become increasingly unlikely.
“We really need to find and destroy all the nests before the hornets produce more queens and males in autumn. So I’d love to see people looking out for the hornet and reporting insects that look like it to MPI (0800 80 99 66). MPI needs to take a strong response too, ensuring the discovery and destruction of nests as soon as possible.”
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