Sweet traps help Canberra rangers fight invasive wasps in Namadgi
Rangers in Namadgi National Park use sweet traps to catch invasive European wasps.
Invasive European wasps have black antennae, unlike Australia's native wasps. Invasive European wasps burrow into the ground.
Native flies, beetles and bees face attack and harm from them, ranger Sam Wellings-Booth says. Sam Wellings-Booth calls them a "hidden, silent killer" in the park.
ACT Parks and Conservation set traps filled with a non-toxic sweet liquid. The liquid draws in the wasps and traps them.
Rangers began the program in Tidbinbilla. They expanded it to Namadgi this year.
In early spring, they placed 50 traps across recreation areas and walking trails. The goal is to catch breeding queens.
This stops them from making male drones that grow in number by Easter. Last breeding season, an ACT-wide effort caught 138 queens.
The program started in October and runs through summer. The old method used powdered poison to kill individual nests reported by the public.
- 50
- Traps deployed
- 138
- Previous queens caught
- Sam Wellings-Booth
- Senior ranger
- Namadgi National Park
- Location
Why it mattersThe invasive wasps are destroying native insects. Namadgi's ecosystem depends on these insects and controlling the wasps protects the park's biodiversity.
AustraliaCanberra's conservation efforts in Namadgi National Park are expanding to protect native species from a species that threatens the natural balance.
✓ Claims checked against the source and corrected before publish. checked 4 d ago
