Western Australians living and travelling through regional areas are reminded to look out for the unwanted European wasp following detections in the Wheatbelt and Mid West in early 2020.
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Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD) staff were notified of a detection at Wave Rock Caravan Park near Hyden when a visitor photographed European wasps hovering around her meat stew.
A second detection occurred when a Perth resident visiting relatives in the Geraldton suburb of Beresford caught a wasp that had been feeding on a discarded hamburger patty.
Both individuals identified the interest in human food/animal protein as a trait that distinguished European wasps from other species.
DPIRD European wasp activity leader Catherine Webb said other behaviour to look out for included wasps flying in and out of single hole in the ground and raising their legs when flying.
"European wasps also have a number of physical characteristics which differentiate them from common and widespread yellow paper wasps," Ms Webb said.
"Their size and shape is more similar to that of a honey bee and they have entirely black antennae rather than the yellow antennae of the paper wasp."
The Wave Rock detection is only the second in the area and followed one two years prior that resulted in a single nest being found and destroyed.
Previous Geraldton detections of single nests occurred in 1992/93 and 2002/03.
Detections of individual wasps have been sighted in the area in subsequent years, however nests are likely to have died out prior to detection.
Posters have been erected in each new detection area and DPIRD staff continue to search for nests.
"The two recent detections show that the message about European wasps is getting out to the general public, particularly as the traveller who made the Wave Rock identification used DPIRD's MyPestGuide Reporter app to report it," Ms Webb said.
"Continued vigilance is nonetheless required to detect this species early, as it can enter and disperse across WA by freight transport, tourism and other means and lead to negative impacts for food industries and social amenity such as eating outdoors.
"If nests are not detected and destroyed by April, fertilised queens start to be released from the nest and can survive through our winter and establish additional nests in the area."
DPIRD continues to work with the Perth community, industry and local government to monitor the metropolitan area and surrounds, where 31 wasp nests have been located and destroyed so far this season.
European wasp sightings can be reported using the MyPestGuide Reporter app, MyPestGuide website or by contacting the department's Pest and Disease Information Service on +61 (08) 9368 3080, or email padis@dpird.wa.gov.au.
