Yellow-legged hornets in Auckland

About the hornets found in Auckland

Yellow-legged hornets are native to Southeast Asia and are now widespread across much of Europe, the UK, and the USA. Here, they have only been found in a confined area of Auckland's North Shore. We believe it's unlikely they are present outside this area.

A yellow-legged hornet shown to scale.

The yellow-legged hornet is classified as an unwanted organism 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.

Genetic testing has shown the hornets found in Auckland are all related and likely stem from a single fertilised female that got into the country in late 2024.

The biosecurity response to the hornet

The operation has been guided by a Technical Advisory Group (TAG) of national and international experts, many of whom have direct operational experience dealing with the yellow-legged hornet in the UK and Europe.

The response operations have included a range of activities and methods, including cutting-edge global technology such as radio tracking, AI-assisted camera monitoring technology, and the use of bait stations.

Surveillance zone

This extends out to 11 km from hornet detections. Within this area we set out hundreds of traps with  carbohydrate baits. We deployed feeding stations to attract hornets that we could then track back to their nests, either visually or using radio trackers.

Radio tracking

Using tiny trackers mounted on hornets, we were able to track them to their nests for treatment with insecticide and removal. This spring, if hornets re-emerge, we have new, lighter tracking devices that can be mounted on smaller hornets than was possible last season.

The equipment we used to put the trackers on the hornets.

AI-enabled cameras

These cameras can identify hornets and automatically alert the team, improving detection while freeing up field staff for other activities.

Vespex bait

This poisoned protein bait is deployed to attract hornets and wasps, which collect the product and take it back to the nest, poisoning the whole colony. Nearly 12,000 bait stations were deployed.

Vespex bait station attached to a tree.

Field workforce

At the height of operations, we deployed a field crew of over 100 staff each day to carry out the above detection and removal activities.

UK specialists

Two British experts in hornet detection and destruction have made visits to train our field team and advise on fieldwork, enabling fast upskilling of our team.

Working with beekeepers

Their observations have enhanced surveillance around hives. There are over 438 active registered apiaries within the 11 km zone.

Public information

We have run extensive education campaigns and media activities to successfully encourage community participation in the response, generating over 18,200 public reports.

Hornet trap locations and detection area

Download the map to print it [JPG, 4.2 MB]

Know the difference between hornets and other wasps in New Zealand

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