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European wasp (Vespula germanica)

An aggressive wasp in southern Australia that stings repeatedly, scavenges around food and drink, and preys on native insects. Western Australia works to keep it out.

Key facts

Type: Pest animal, invertebrate.

Native to: Europe and North Africa.

Established in: NSW, ACT, VIC, TAS, SA.

Identification

  • Bright yellow and black wasp about 15 mm long, with black antennae.
  • Folds its wings back along the body when resting.
  • Look-alike: Paper wasps have orange-brown antennae and dangling legs in flight.

Where it lives

Urban areas, parks, farms and bushland in southern Australia.

Why it matters

  • Painful, repeated stings to workers and the public.
  • Predation on native insects and damage to fruit.

How it spreads

  • Queens hibernating in freight, timber and machinery.

Control methods

  • Locate and destroy nests using registered products, ideally by a licensed pest controller.
  • Remove food sources around sites.

Site hygiene and welfare

  • Check freight and machinery leaving infested areas, particularly for Western Australia.
  • Use methods set out in the national model codes of practice and standard operating procedures for the species.
  • Coordinate control with neighbours and the local government biosecurity plan, as isolated effort is quickly undone by reinvasion.

Classification by state

  • Australia (national): No national listing. Managed under state and territory law.
  • Queensland: Not prohibited or restricted. Not listed as prohibited or restricted matter in Queensland. Everyone must also take all reasonable and practical steps to minimise its risks (the general biosecurity obligation).
  • New South Wales: General biosecurity duty. Not prohibited matter in NSW. The general biosecurity duty applies: anyone dealing with it must prevent, eliminate or minimise the risk it poses.
  • Victoria: Not declared. Not declared under the Catchment and Land Protection Act 1994. Other Victorian laws may still apply.
  • South Australia: Not declared. Not declared under the Landscape South Australia Act 2019. Other laws may still apply.
  • Western Australia: Declared pest (C1), prohibited. C1 Exclusion: to be kept out of WA, or out of the parts of WA where it is not established. Report any sighting to DPIRD. It must not be brought into WA (prohibited organism).
  • Tasmania: Not a declared pest. Not a declared pest or prohibited matter in Tasmania. Importing animals is still controlled by Biosecurity Tasmania.
  • Northern Territory: Not a declared pest. Not on an NT declared or prohibited list. Check with the NT Government before keeping, moving or releasing it.
  • Australian Capital Territory: Declared pest, prohibited. It is a declared pest throughout the ACT. Dealing with it, such as selling, moving or keeping it, is prohibited.

Legal obligations

Every state and territory places a duty on landholders and people working on land to prevent the spread of invasive species, such as the general biosecurity obligation in Queensland and the general biosecurity duty in New South Wales. Declarations and control requirements differ between states and local government areas, so check the current official list before work starts.

  • New South Wales: Biosecurity Act 2015 (NSW), administered by NSW Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development
  • Australian Capital Territory: Biosecurity Act 2023 (ACT), administered by ACT Biosecurity
  • Victoria: Catchment and Land Protection Act 1994 (Vic), administered by Agriculture Victoria
  • Tasmania: Biosecurity Act 2019 (Tas), administered by Biosecurity Tasmania
  • South Australia: Landscape South Australia Act 2019 (SA), administered by the regional landscape board

Sources