baiting strategy; chemical control; common wasp; fipronil; Nelson Lakes National Park

Effective distances of wasp (Vespula vulgaris) poisoning using clustered bait stations in beech forest

Poison baiting from fixed bait stations is currently the most effective method to reduce the ecological impacts of invasive Vespula vulgaris wasps in New Zealand. Maintaining extensive bait lines or grids and later removal of unused baits within forest habitats is, however, difficult and time-consuming. To improve cost-effectiveness and to make use of wasps’ ability to forage at long distances from the nest, we tested the efficacy of using clusters of bait stations.