Nelson Tramping Club / beta

We will be entering the peak wasp season from around February, and they are a pest – stings hurt. They occur mainly in the beech forests, and on popular DoC tracks any nests are soon spotted and reported. Wasps rarely sting unless:

• you place your hand on them as they feed on the blackened beech trees
• you slap at them or perform other disturbing actions
• you disturb a nest; in this case run like Hell!

They are not deterred by insect repellent. However, unless you are severely allergic to wasp stings, they should not interrupt your tramping, and some antihistamine ointment or pills can alleviate the occasional pain. The anecdotes of their prevalence over-rate the number of times that they actually sting.