Public urged to report sightings of European wasps in Canning

  • 2016-01-26
A wasp alert has been declared in Welshpool, Western Australia after sightings of the infamous European wasp.

Residents throughout the City of Canning have been put on wasp watch since sightings in bushland at Welshpool were reported by the Friends of Queens Park Bushland to the Department of Agriculture.

The Department Catalogues the wasp as a pest that is common in Australia’s eastern states but not yet in WA, although it states hundreds of fertilised queens from the European wasp species are transported accidently across the border in containers, Boxes and freights of merchandise.

Public reports and surveillance traps assist Department of Agriculture representatives to locate and eradicate the pest.

According to the department, the European wasp can be easily mistaken for other wasp species that are harmless and native to Australia, such as the paper wasp.

City of Canning CEO Lyn Russell said the European wasps were best identified by the fact that their nests are in the ground and they have a distinguishing feature in a black antenna.

The comparisons can be viewed on the Department of Agriculture website or as part of booklet printing releases sent out to their offices throughout the state.

Russell said the identification of European wasp nests by groups such as the Friends of Queens Park Bushland was an important step towards preventing their colonisation in WA.

Since November last year, 11 European wasp nests have been destroyed by the Department of Agriculture.
Get a Free Quote for Boxes Get a Free Quote for Catalogues