Is it an Asian or a European paper wasp?

They look alike. The European paper wasp has two tiny yellow dots on top of the thorax, the Tasman and Nelson councils' booklet says. A pest business deals with both the same way, so you don't need to be sure.

Do paper wasps really need a pest business?

Not always, if the nest is well away from where people go. Near a door, a deck or a play area, we'd get it dealt with, since paper wasps still sting when their nest is disturbed.

Pest control Blenheim: wasps in Marlborough's dry heat

Before you go near a nest

Paper wasp nests are small and easy to bump into. Keep your distance, and call 111 for anyone with facial swelling, wheezing or a tight throat after a sting.

What's different in Blenheim

Sun and drought

NIWA says dryness is the main feature of Marlborough's climate, with frequent summer droughts, and Blenheim is one of the sunniest towns in the country.

Cold winters as well

Marlborough's climate is rather continental, NIWA says: hot, dry summers and cold winters, softened near the coast.

Asian paper wasps

DOC places Asian paper wasps in the North Island and the top of the South Island, which takes in Blenheim.

European paper wasps

The Tasman and Nelson councils' insect booklet says European paper wasps were first discovered at Waikawa, by Picton, in 2011. They look very like the Asian kind but have two tiny yellow dots on top of the thorax, and sometimes nest inside tubular metal framing.

One council

Marlborough District Council is the council for pest questions here.

Paper wasp or German wasp?

	Paper wasps	German and common wasps
Nest	Small, open and lantern-shaped, attached to buildings	Enclosed, in the ground, a bank or a roof space
Colony	Small	Large
Temper	Less aggressive, though they still sting	Fierce around the nest

Where paper wasps build

The booklet says Asian and European paper wasps attach their nests to buildings, particularly houses, and the European kind can build inside metal tubing. Check under the eaves, around a pergola and inside the ends of a tubular gate or clothesline frame.

Bay of Plenty Regional Council says paper wasps are less aggressive than German wasps, but a nest beside a door still means stings. The wasp nest page covers what a pest business will want to know.

The stink bug Marlborough doesn't want

As of December 2024, the councils' booklet says the brown marmorated stink bug wasn't in New Zealand, and that it would seriously damage horticulture and viticulture if it arrived. Adults are about 1.7 cm with a brown shield shape. If you think you've seen one, catch a photo, leave it be and ring MPI.

Rats and mice when it turns cold

Cold winters send rodents looking for warmth, and Tenancy Services says winter is when they more often get inside. Scratching overhead at night, droppings in the pantry or gnawed packets are the signs to note before you get in touch.

If we lived in Blenheim

We'd walk round the house in early summer looking up at the eaves and into any metal framing, because paper wasp nests start small. If we found one by a door, we'd tap A wasp nest rather than wait for it to grow. And any shield-shaped bug we didn't recognise would go straight to MPI.

Want someone to look at it?

Tell us what you've seen and your postcode, and a local pest business that handles exactly that calls you to talk it through.

What have you seen?