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Join the Kaipātiki Hornet Hunt!

Grab a camera or phone and get to know your garden by searching your property, school or

park for yellow-legged hornets. Below are some images of what to look for. We suggest coming up with a list of all the potential places a hornet nest may be to keep track of where you’ve searched. 


Three people standing outside next to a building. Looking for yellow-legged hornets.
Photo from our Puāwai hornet hunt. Looking along fences and under the eaves of the building.

You can use our template to help you create a list. It is best to search in an orderly manner (eg. North to South or by section). Once you have finished your hunt, email us at team@pestfreekaipatiki.org.nz or tag us on social media so that we can add it to our hornet hunt map!


If you find a hornet or hornet nest, take a photo and report it to MPI by going to their website report.mpi.govt.nz or calling 0800 809 966.


For more information on the yellow-legged hornet head to our main blog post.




Quick Links:

How to get started:

  1. Familiarise yourself with your garden, school or park.

    1. You might want to draw a map of the area to make sure you don't forget any spots.

  2. Create a list of all the places where a hornet nest may be found so that you can tick them off while you search. You can use our template here.

  3. Start in one area and make your way around the whole area, looking for places where hornets or their nests may be.

  4. If you find a hornet or nest take a photo and report it. If you want, you can also upload it to social media with #hornethunt, or email us to let us know.

  5. If you don't find any hornets that's great!

    Hopefully, you found some other interesting plants and animals. You can upload photos of other plants or critters, along with photos of you doing the hornet hunt, to social media with #hornethunt, to raise awareness on the issue and show some of the species that are threatened by the hornet. We will share them on the Pest Free Kaipātiki social media pages and add your hornet hunt to our map.



What to look for:

A table of images of yellow-legged hornets and yellow-legged hornet nests.
Examples of yellow-legged hornets and yellow-legged hornet nests. Images taken from iNaturalist.


Potential Locations:

Yellow-legged hornets are found in the same places you might find paper wasps. They like sheltered areas like the corners of fences and buildings. We have provided a few suggestions below to add to your list.


Exterior of houses:

  • Eaves (under the roof)

  • Window frames

  • Porch/verandah

  • Deck


Fence-line:

  • All fences, interior and exterior if accessible

  • Letterbox

Garden:

  • Trees

  • Trellises, structures

  • Outdoor Furniture

  • Clotheslines

  • Animal houses/shelters

  • Garage/Shed

For schools and reserves:

  • Playground

  • Shelters/shade flags

  • Outdoor benches and seating

  • Toilet facilities

  • Signs



An image of a yellow-legged hornet mid-flight above grass.
Image of yellow-legged hornet flying in Andorra. Source: iNaturalist, vogelsinfocus, CC-BY-NC.


Puāwai Hornet Hunt

This Friday the awesome PFK volunteers took part in a hornet hunt at Puāwai, the PFK headquarters. We didn't find any hornets, but we found the remnants of old wasp nests along our fence. This means that those places would also be attractive for a yellow-legged hornet queen to make a nest. We will continue to regularly check our property for hornets.


Our wonderful volunteers during the Puāwai hornet hunt. Right: shows a remnant of an old wasp nest. This could be a place where a yellow-legged hornet nest might be built.



Resources:




Full Hornet Hunt Information Pack:


Images of yellow-legged hornets and nests:

Template for potential location list:

 
 
 

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