Biosecurity New Zealand – when urging Aucklanders to be on the lookout for yellow-legged hornets (Vespa velutina) – did not spell out the implications for the country’s honey industry.

But Comvita chief executive Karl Gradon reacted to the news by sounding a warning for the sector, that’s worth more than $400 million of export earnings.

Biosecurity New Zealand issued its statement after the discovery of a queen hornet in the early stages of building a nest in the suburb of Glenfield.

The nest was removed swiftly by biosecurity officers on 17 October, addressing the immediate threat of a colony establishing, said Mike Inglis, North commissioner, Biosecurity New Zealand.

However, with summer approaching, any undetected nests could be a biosecurity risk.

“This is the first time we’ve found a queen yellow-legged hornet in New Zealand,” Mr Inglis said.

“We responded quickly to this threat, but we need the public’s help to eliminate any further risk.”

Two male yellow-legged hornets were spotted earlier this year in the Auckland suburbs of Grafton and Albany.

“New Zealand is fortunate to be free of hornet populations, and we want it to stay that way,” Mr Inglis said

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

“It is a highly adaptable predator with a broad diet, primarily feeding on bees, wasps, and flies, but also ripe fruit and flower nectar, posing a risk to growers. It may compete with native insects and birds for food, and it has a painful sting.”

Members of the public are asked to report any sightings of suspected hornets or hornet nests online at report.mpi.govt.nz or by calling Biosecurity New Zealand’s exotic pest and disease hotline on 0800 809 966.

RNZ reported a bee expert’s warning that the discovery of an invasive hornet species could present a substantial problem for New Zealand’s honey industry.

Victoria University professor of ecology and entomology Phil Lester said examples in Europe proved how devastating this species could be.

He said:

“One of the things it’ll do is it’ll hover outside honeybee hives and wait for returning workers and pounce on them, kill them and take them back to their nests. The workers are substantially affected by that.

“Many are killed, but also the colonies will do things like stop foraging. So, they’ve had a pause in their foraging behaviour because they’re worried that they’re going to get eaten outside.

“The effects of these hornets on honeybees has been substantial with them contributing to colony die-off over in Spain and France and places like that where they’ve been invaded and potential reduction in pollination success for crops and many plants.”

Professor Lester said this hornet species especially affected pollinators and had a wide climate tolerance, meaning they would probably infiltrate many parts of the country.

“It would be a serious concern for the honeybee industry.

“In places like France, they’re talking about, 30% of colonies are affected by these, contributing substantially to colony loss over there. It’s contributing substantially to a decline in pollination of some crops,” Professor Lester said.

Honeybees face a number of different threats, he said.

These include the varroa mite parasites and the diseases that they carry.

Comvita’s Karl Gradon said the industry was in a crisis due to a sustained oversupply of manuka and softening demands in luxury goods globally. Comvita has announced the sector was facing a $104 million loss last year alone.

Mr Gradon said an impact from the hornet species, as has been seen in Europe, would further slump the market.

He said there are 4000 beekeeping companies in New Zealand

“We’ve seen three major beekeeping companies go into receivership last month alone and as a result, these continued losses just cannot be sustained,” he said.

“To have further impact on our results through this type of incursion is terrible.

“At the end of the day, Comvita’s material losses and the big decisions we need to make very soon to secure continued support for the business from our shareholders, this could not have come at a worse time.”

Sources: Ministry for Primary Industries and RNZ