Yellow-legged hornet sightings in Auckland in 2025

Latest update: 4 December 2025

Biosecurity New Zealand is urging Aucklanders to continue to be on the lookout for yellow-legged hornets (Vespa velutina) or nests.

We’re responding to the discovery of queen hornets and nests in the Glenfield and Birkdale areas on Auckland’s North Shore. 

To date, there have been 31 confirmed queen hornets found (based on specimens). Twenty of the 31 confirmed queen hornets were found with either developed nests or evidence of nesting. To date, 7 worker hornets have been found in nests.

We’ve had an excellent response from the public. We have received almost 4,610 notifications to date.

A Technical Advisory Group (TAG), comprising independent scientific experts from countries that have successfully managed hornet incursions, is supporting the response.

Their recommendations are shaping Biosecurity New Zealand’s strategy.

Key additional actions underway include:

trapping has been extended out to 5km from the hornet detections, with a combination of carbohydrate and protein traps. Further extensions are being made as needed
increased staff on the ground to accelerate detection and removal
introducing advanced tracking technology from the Netherlands to trace hornets back to their nests
hosting a specialist from the UK’s hornet response team to train staff and advise on programme delivery.

Hornet trap locations and detection area

Auckland map with dense network of traps marked by yellow dots. Zone A centers around Glenfield and Birkdale.

Trap locations as at 1 December 2025 (yellow dots). All queen yellow-legged hornets have been found in Zone A (red circle) – a 1km buffer around detections.

Download the map to print it [JPG, 1.7 MB]

Report any suspected sightings

The best surveillance tool we have is for people to report any sightings of suspected hornets or hornet nests. This can be done:

online at report.mpi.govt.nz
by calling our exotic pest and disease hotline on 0800 809 966

These detections have given us a good indication of where the hornets may be.

Media releases

Risk to New Zealand from hornets

The yellow-legged hornet is a biosecurity concern due to its potential impact on honeybee and wild bee populations.

It primarily feeds on bees, wasps, and flies. It may compete with native insects and birds for food, and it has a painful sting.

How you can help

Yellow-legged hornets have only been detected in Auckland. We believe it’s unlikely they are present outside this area. However, Biosecurity New Zealand is closely monitoring the situation and is encouraging people to remain vigilant and report any suspected hornet or nest sightings.

The best surveillance tool we have right now is for people to report any sightings of suspected hornets or hornet nests.

When looking for hornets and their nests, check common nesting areas such as roof eaves of your house, sheltered entrances, wooden structures, carports, under wooden decks, sheds, and outbuildings.

Don’t attempt to remove or control a suspected hornet nest yourself, or spray a hornet or nest with insecticide. It is very important for Biosecurity New Zealand to know where the hornets are active. Any attempt to control them risks pushing them away, making it difficult to find them.

We appreciate that taking photos can be hard, as the hornets are strong flyers, but images are the best method for us to assess the valuable observations made by the public.

If you think you have found a hornet or its nest, take a clear photo and report:

online at report.mpi.govt.nz
by calling our exotic pest and disease hotline on 0800 809 966

Homemade traps

We know many people want to help by setting their own traps. These may be effective in attracting hornets and other flying insects, but significant bycatch of other insects should be expected.

We have created some easy-to-follow instructions for building a simple homemade trap:

How to make a homemade hornet trap – Fact sheet [PDF, 1.1 MB]

A suggested bait formula to add to your trap is 400g of sugar, 10g of yeast, and 1 litre of water. You can also add 100ml of beer to this mixture.

It is important to closely monitor any homemade trap and to be familiar with local wasp species that are not a concern in this response.

Know the difference between hornets and common wasps

One hornet and 3 different wasp species side by side, numbered from 1 to 4.

From left to right, biggest to smallest: 1 Yellow-legged hornet, 2 German wasp, 3 Asian paper wasp, 4 Australian paper wasp.

If you make and install a homemade trap and believe you have caught a hornet, take a clear photograph and report it online or by calling 0800 809 966. Do not handle live hornets.

Identifying nests

Yellow-legged hornets build large nests (up to 80 cm tall), often high in trees or under eaves.

However, early embryo nests created by queen hornets at the beginning of the spring season can be as small as a tennis ball and may appear within a couple of days.

Do not disturb any suspected nest. Take a photo and report it to Biosecurity New Zealand.

Hornet building a white spherical nest with a bottom opening.

A queen yellow-legged hornet develops an embryo or primary nest (pictured). Worker hornets raised in the primary nest build a larger, secondary nest during the summer. Photo credit: John de Carteret – Jersey

Identifying yellow-legged hornets

The yellow-legged hornet has distinctive dark legs with bright yellow tips. In contrast, common wasp species in New Zealand, such as the German wasp (Vespula germanica), typically have uniformly yellow or yellow-striped legs.

The yellow-legged hornet is also much larger than honey bees and common wasp species seen in New Zealand.