Bay Pest Services manager and technician Chris Brunel inspects the wasp nest in Ngongotahā. Photo: LDR / Laura Smith
A woman allergic to wasps can now come and go from her property without fear of being stung after a 90cm wasp nest was removed from neighbouring vacant land.
Rotorua Lakes Council asked pest service technician Chris Brunel to remove the nest from the property.
Lynne Coutts lived next door and shared her story of being plagued by the wasps - which at times "smothered" her bird feeder - and her struggle in getting it sorted out.
The vacant, overgrown land was ideal for wasps.
Brunel visited the Ngongotahā property on Wednesday after Local Democracy Reporting first reported the story.
Brunel found the nest underground.
When he found it: "That's a big nest. It's nasty."
A German wasp nest, it was built "right into" the tree roots and scrub, he said.
"It's not easy to see but if you have a protection suit on and all the PPE gear you can stick your head down there and have a good look."
The nest accommodated the queen as well as thousands of worker wasps.
"We can deal to that quite simply by inserting a probe in the nest, and filling it up with insecticide and we kill it," Brunel said.
"All hell breaks loose for about 10 minutes then usually it's all over."
A vacant Ngongotahā property was inundated with wasps, but a pest control specialist has now dealt to it. Photo: LDR / Laura Smith
Sometimes a second dose was needed - "but it's rare".
In the next six to eight weeks, the cold would kill off most of the wasps, with the queens finding somewhere to hibernate, such as the bark of a tree.
"Then the whole process starts again next year."
He came back later in the day to administer the insecticide.
Brunel said if the nest was left, it would have "become massive".
Rotorua Lakes Council sport, recreation and environment manager Rob Pitkethley said wasps had been less of an issue across its reserves this season.
"Following removal of the bins and wasp control undertaken in spring at Tikitapu (Blue Lake), we've noted a significant reduction there."
The bins were removed about a year ago from the reserve after wasps were attracted to them.
"We removed a nest at the lakefront but have had no reports from the public about any issues with wasps on our reserves."
LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.