A scientist wants controversial genetic modification used to all-but wipe non-native wasps from New Zealand.
Professor Phil Lester of Victoria University told Seven Sharp wasps are attacking honey bees and beech forests and costing the country an estimated $130-million a year.
"If you walk through our beech forests right now, you'll hear the drone of wasps, and no bird calls," said Professor Lester who has studied wasps for 20 years and has written the book The Vulgar Wasp on the New Zealand wasp invasion.
Speaking at what is the height of the wasp season, he said wasps attack bird chicks on the nest in beech forests.
"They do thing things like harvest the honey dew from the beech trees - little sugary secretions."
He said wasps also target honey bees, biting their heads off before dismembering all the soft body parts.
"We have far too too many wasps in New Zealand," he said, referring to the non-native rather than native wasps.
Stings from these wasps can vary from a pin prick to something that'll make you cry, he added.
"The latest estimate is one-hundred-and-thirty-million dollars a year that wasps are damaging - our beehives primarily, our bee industry, apiculture industry, also our pastoral land in terms of pollination."
Professor Lester said we need to see 90 per cent of wasps gone from the country, using genetic modification, a technology that is controversial, but he believes necessary.
"The gene drive approach has the ability to potentially eliminate wasps from New Zealand, and that would be a fantastic outcome."
He said in beech forests this would mean the air would literally smell sweeter with the honey dew and you'd hear many more native birds.
Preliminary work for assessing genetic modification is underway. The Royal Society recently consulted with Government and the public.
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