By ANNE BESTON
A deadly poison has been sprayed to kill the scorpions which stowed away in a shipment of Portuguese wine and then escaped on to a Hawkes Bay vineyard.
Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry staff have used Diazinon pesticide over a 30m radius from where the scorpions were last seen.
Dr Derek Belton said there was a chance the scorpions would die of hypothermia as it was much colder in New Zealand than they were used to.
MAF was concerned the scorpions would be able to establish in the area and perhaps breed, but Dr Belton was hopeful the pesticide would kill them.
The nocturnal arachnids are still being hunted at night by MAF staff with ultraviolet lights but none has been found.
"They scurry away into cracks and crevices but we'll continue to visit the winery for the next six months," Dr Belton said.
Officials heard about the scorpions by chance when a winery employee told an entomologist about finding them when unpacking a wine crate in May.
The employee did not realise that scorpions are not found here.
They are thought to be light brown, 3cm to 5cm long and likely to be of the Buthus occitanus variety. Their sting is not thought to be fatal.
Poison used in hunt for elusive scorpions
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