Photo: Supplied / University of Auckland
Aucklanders who feel like they have been dealing with more wasps are not imagining it.
An ecology professor said a long, dry summer had led to the region being swarmed by wasps.
Auckland Council specialists said they had also noticed unusually high wasp activity in its parks.
Professor and director of University of Auckland's Centre for Climate, Biodiversity, and Society, Jacqueline Beggs, said wasps had been thriving in Auckland and parts of Northland lately.
"Many of these wasp species nest in the ground and are susceptible to flooding and of course we haven't had wet weather up in the North.
"It's part of the cyclic nature of wasps. The stars have aligned for them this year and their numbers have just gone ballistic."
New Zealand already has one of the world's highest concentration of German and common wasps.
Beggs said the little insects had a particularly nasty effect on native birds such as Kākā and Tūī.
"Wasps are really tough on our insect communities. They just hoover up flies, caterpillars, and bigger insects like dragonflies and wētā which are the food of many birds and other species."
She said the best way to get rid of wasps was to use a poison bait called Vespex or fly spray the nest.
"The wasps come to the bait and it's protein-based bait so you're not at risk of poisoning bees.
"Fly spray can be especially effective at night when they all head back to the nest.
"If you get enough spray into the nest it kills the queen and the whole colony collapses."
But she warned people to be cautious when dealing with wasps to avoid getting stung.
