Warning - don’t use homemade European wasp baits

4 November 2015

With the arrival of warmer weather and increased European wasp activity, Victorians are being urged not to create illegal homemade wasp baits.

A number of recipes outlining how to use veterinary chemicals to create illegal baits have recently been published online.

Statewide Chemicals Specialist Steven Field from the Department of Economic Development, Jobs, Transport and Resources (DEDJTR) said the use of illegal baits posed an unacceptable risk to other animals, the environment and people.

"Anyone providing advice to another person outlining how to create and use these illegal baits may be providing false and misleading information," Mr Field said.

"It's dangerous for people to be providing instructions on how to create and use these illegal baits." 

Mr Field said providing information that leads to someone committing an offence was considered to be 'providing false and misleading information' and was an offence under the Agricultural and Veterinary Chemicals (Control of Use) Act 1992.'

"The maximum penalty for an individual for this offence is $7,500," he said.

"We are urging people concerned about wasps not to put their health and that of their community at risk by making and using these baits.

"The instructions currently being circulated have not been assessed by the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA) and therefore pose an unacceptable risk to the person creating the bait and the public."

Mr Field encouraged people concerned about European wasps to use products registered for their control or to engage a licensed contractor. 

A searchable database of registered products is available at the APVMA website.

For more information on the rules regarding chemical use in Victoria contact us.