There are several kinds of native wasps in New Zealand which have evolved here and have never become a nuisance. In contrast there are now four social species which have been accidentally introduced in recent years and which are classed as pests.
Social wasps live as colonies in nests of honeycomb-like cells.
The Asian paper wasp and the Australian paper wasp build small nests, about the size of a pear. The Asian paper wasp has been found in Nelson but the Australian paper wasp remains confined to the north of the North Island. The more widespread German and common wasps live in large colonies, about the size of a soccer ball, but which can become huge if they manage to survive over winter. The German wasp was introduced with US aeroplane parts in the 1940s and the common wasp arrived only recently but is already widespread. These two are very similar in appearance, and both have the characteristic black and yellow colouration.