“The predatory success of these invasive wasps is often attributed to their adaptive behaviour, together with their cognitive abilities. They locate food sources and prey using their visual, auditory, and olfactory senses, and can learn to follow pheromone scents to find prey.
“Coupled with the fact that they are omnivores with a broad diet — honeydew, nectar, other insects and spiders, vertebrates and carrion — they are very adaptable and can exploit whatever food source becomes available.
“In short, they are excellent foragers and resilient insects, which makes them extremely challenging to control and extirpate.”
The wasps have few natural enemies and kill bees and other indigenous insects.
Mayoral committee member for the environment, Eddie Andrews, urged Capetonians to sign up for the city spotter network at www.capetowninvasives.org.za or report sightings of the wasps by calling 021-444-9835.
Wasp invasion stings Cape Town into doubling its opposing forces
Image: City of Cape Town
Cape Town has declared war on two aggressive and venomous invasive wasp species by doubling the number of teams assigned to combat them.
A “significant increase” in calls for help means the four teams assigned to removing wasps will be doubled by Friday, the city said in a statement on Tuesday.
It said the German wasp and European paper wasp emerge early in summer and numbers increase steadily into autumn.
“Known for their aggressive behaviour and venomous sting, these invasive wasps frequently spoil outdoor activities and are harmful to our natural ecosystems,” said the statement.
Image: City of Cape Town
“The predatory success of these invasive wasps is often attributed to their adaptive behaviour, together with their cognitive abilities. They locate food sources and prey using their visual, auditory, and olfactory senses, and can learn to follow pheromone scents to find prey.
“Coupled with the fact that they are omnivores with a broad diet — honeydew, nectar, other insects and spiders, vertebrates and carrion — they are very adaptable and can exploit whatever food source becomes available.
“In short, they are excellent foragers and resilient insects, which makes them extremely challenging to control and extirpate.”
The wasps have few natural enemies and kill bees and other indigenous insects.
Mayoral committee member for the environment, Eddie Andrews, urged Capetonians to sign up for the city spotter network at www.capetowninvasives.org.za or report sightings of the wasps by calling 021-444-9835.
Image: City of Cape Town
City council teams remove wasps without charge, but residents who could not wait were at liberty to use a professional service provider.
“We are trying our best to improve our turnaround time and this is why we have doubled the number of teams working across the metropole. Each will respond to reports on a first-come-first-serve basis,” said Andrews.
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