Yellow-legged hornets: Radio tracking leads Biosecurity NZ to 10 nests

Radio tracking is helping locate nests of the yellow-legged hornet (far left). Photo / Biosecurity New Zealand

Attaching tiny radio transmitters to yellow-legged hornets is paying off for Biosecurity New Zealand.

Radio‑tracking technology has helped locate 10 yellow‑legged hornet nests as the eradication effort on Auckland’s North Shore continues to ramp up.

Biosecurity NZ commissioner north Mike Inglis said the technique - attaching radio transmitters to worker hornets and tracking them back to their nests - had quickly become a core tool in the response programme.

“Our capability with the equipment is growing rapidly, helped by practical advice from visiting experts in hornet management from the United Kingdom.”

Inglis said once a transmitter was attached to a hornet, a nest was typically located within a few hours.

“The trackers, which complement on-the-ground surveillance and public notifications, will become increasingly useful as summer progresses and hornets begin building larger secondary nests high up in trees where they’re less visible to ground searchers,” he said.

“We have located three secondary nests so far and, after comprehensive planning, have successfully treated and removed them.”

Inglis said Biosecurity NZ always expected to find increasing numbers of hornets, and had scaled up surveillance and tracking programme accordingly.

“Finding hornets and their nests is a sign that our response is working as intended.”

Using tracking, trapping and ground surveillance, along with public notifications, the team has located and destroyed 49 queens, 51 nests and hundreds of workers to date.

The team located three small nests – one in Takapuna and two in Forrest Hill.

“These finds are well within zone B of our intense surveillance and trapping area, with zone C going out to 11km,” Inglis said.

A network of more than 1080 traps was operating.

The zones reflected the density of traps, and there had been no detections outside the 11km area.

Watch a video of a tracker being attached below.

Inglis said public support was vital to the response, with more than 11,060 notifications to date.

He urged people to get in contact.

“We encourage anyone who has a suspected hornet specimen, has located a possible nest, or has taken a clear photo to report it to us online at report.mpi.govt.nz, or by calling 0800 80 99 66."

For more information and updates, visit MPI’s dedicated hornet page here.

- Supplied by Biosecurity NZ