Skip to main content

Kōrero: Wasps and bees

Sirex wasp laying eggs

Sirex wasp laying eggs

A sirex woodwasp (Sirex noctilio) lays eggs in the trunk of a pine tree. At the same time she also introduces a fungus that digests wood, making it easier for her larvae to bore through the wood. The sirex wasp was accidentally brought to New Zealand, and was a pest in pine plantations until parasitic wasps that target it were used to control it.

Te whakamahi i tēnei tūemi

Natural Sciences Image Library of New Zealand

Reference: In0134LC1t.tif

This item has been provided for private study purposes (such as school projects, family and local history research) and any published reproduction (print or electronic) may infringe copyright law. It is the responsibility of the user of any material to obtain clearance from the copyright holder.

Ngā whakaahua me ngā rauemi katoa o tēnei kōrero

Me pēnei te tohu i te whārang

John Early, Wasps and bees – New Zealand’s wasps and bees, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/mi/photograph/11140/sirex-wasp-laying-eggs (accessed 4 June 2026).

He kōrero nā John Early, i tāngia i te 1 March 2009.

Comments

ray treanor
06 June 2012
I found a live sirex wasp in my firewood today 5-06-2012. I have never seen one before and wondered what it was.