New technology is being introduced to Biosecurity New Zealand’s yellow-legged hornet eradication programme in Auckland to strengthen the operation in the lead up to winter.
Biosecurity New Zealand’s commissioner north, Mike Inglis, says the response toolkit will soon be boosted with new AI-enabled cameras to help monitor hornets.
Mr Inglis said the cameras from the University of Exeter Vespa AI Team in Britain have arrived in the country and will be tested at locating areas of interest for hornets and their nests.
“The cameras have been used experimentally in the UK, and we are supporting this research by deploying them at live-capture feeding traps here in Auckland. They’ll monitor hornet movements and help us pinpoint areas with high hornet activity,” he said.
“Because we’ve now found and destroyed a substantial number of hornets and nests, our teams are spending longer observing feed stations. Using these cameras means we can closely monitor activity online, freeing up our field workers for other tasks.”
The new cameras are part of a suite of tools that includes radio trackers, ground surveillance, traps, and the use of a poisoned bait called Vespex.
A core component of the eradication work programme has been input from two UK experts in hornet control.
Pete Davies, formerly from Britain’s Animal Plant and Health Agency, is now on a second visit to the North Shore to provide advice, training, and tactical support to the eradication effort.
Along with his colleague Dan Etheridge, he has been working closely with the response team, offering advice on field craft, radio tracking technology, nest destruction, specialist training, and insights on how the Auckland hornet population is developing.
“I’ve been hugely impressed with the scale of the New Zealand eradication response and the work of the Biosecurity New Zealand team, partners, and the community to get rid of this pest,” says Mr Davies.
“The response has been incredibly well-resourced – more so than I’ve seen anywhere overseas.
“You’re throwing everything at it, using all the technology available and treating it with urgency. I remain optimistic that you’ll ultimately eradicate the hornet from New Zealand.”
Mr Inglis said that since the response started in November last year, 75 queens and 127 nests have been found and destroyed.
“I’m asking everyone on the North Shore to watch out for hornets and their nests. They’re still active, and we need to find every nest before winter. All the hornets will die then, except any mated queens that escape our efforts and hibernate until spring when they would emerge and produce the next generation,” he said.
