New poison promises to turn tide on New Zealand wasp invasion

New Zealand could be on the verge of repelling a costly and dangerous wasp invasion thanks to a new wasp bait successfully trialed by government conservation agency.

Conservation Minister Maggie Barry on Thursday hailed the bait, Vespex, as an example of world-leading New Zealand expertise in protecting the natural environment.

Breeding in vast numbers, wasps monopolized honeydew, which was a key food source for the native New Zealand birds and other native animals.

"They pose a threat to native insects and are a continual annoyance, not to mention a health risk, to people visiting the conservation estate," Barry said in a statement.

Wasps had been estimated to cost around 120 million NZ dollars (79.21 million U.S. dollars) a year through the disruption to bee pollination and lost honey production.

They also cost the health sector around 1 million NZ dollars (660,100 U.S. dollars) a year in sting treatments.

The Department of Conservation had trialed Vespex over 5,000 hectares at five South Island sites last summer.

Within a week of the first application, wasp activity was reduced by more than 95 percent, said Barry.

Vespex is a protein bait containing a common insecticide, and does not attract bees. As wasps feed it to their larvae, many nests can be destroyed from a single bait station.

The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) on Wednesday awarded Vespex creator Richard Toft a Conservation Innovation award. Endit