If you want to develop your listening skills, try these tasks as you listen to the text. The answers are at the bottom of this page. Thanks to Natasha Groves for preparing the tasks.
If you want to listen and read, just scroll down to the text.
The vocabulary list is now first, so that you can check the meanings of the words before you listen.
Vocabulary
pest – an animal or insect that destroys crops or, in New Zealand, that eats native animals or insects
honeybee – a black and yellow flying insect that makes honey
eradicate – to completely get rid of something
invasive – an animal or plant that spreads quickly and becomes a problem
species – a group of animals or plants which are similar and can have young animals or plants
predator – an animal that hunts other animals
sighting – an occasion when something is seen, especially if it’s rare or difficult to find
Try these activities while listening
1. Listening for main ideas
First, just listen to the text, taking notes if you wish. What information can you catch during this first listening?
2. Now listen again and answer the following questions:
- When were several yellow legged hornets found in Auckland?
- Which region of the world do yellow legged hornets come from?
- Which species do they pose a threat to in New Zealand?
- Which industry could the hornets affect?
- How many queen hornets have been found?
- What have staff from the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) been doing?
- What should people in Auckland do?
- How many reports has MPI had so far?
News story
In November several yellow legged hornets were found in Auckland. These pests kill honeybees and could damage the local honey industry. It is now important to try to find and eradicate them before they spread.
Yellow-legged hornets are a type of insect native to Southeast Asia. In New Zealand they are considered an invasive species because they can harm the environment here. They pose a threat to our honeybees and wild bees which have not evolved with these kinds of predators. If the hornets become established here, they could kill many bees. This would be a serious problem for the honey industry, which was worth over $400 million of export earnings this year. Hornets also sting people who get too close to their nests. Their stings are very painful, and some people in other countries have died from them.
Earlier this year two male hornets were found, but what is more concerning now is that 33 queen hornets have been found, in the Glenfield and Birkdale areas on Auckland’s North Shore. 21 of these were found with either developed nests or evidence of nesting. Staff from the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) have been searching for them and setting traps. Advanced tracking technology has also arrived from the Netherlands. A tracker is attached to a worker hornet after being trapped, then the hornet is released and returns to its nest. The tracker shows where the nest is, so that it can then be destroyed. MPI is asking people in Auckland to report any sightings of hornets or hornet nests. So far, they have had 5,050 reports, which they say has been very helpful. Anyone who thinks they have seen a hornet should take a clear photo and report it online at report.mpi.govt.nz or phone 0800 809 966.
Answers – you don’t have to write a complete sentence as long as you have the key idea in your answer
a. When were several yellow legged hornets found in Auckland?
In November
b. Which region of the world do yellow legged hornets come from?
Southeast Asia
c. Which species do they pose a threat to in New Zealand?
Our honeybees and wild bees
d. Which industry could the hornets affect?
The honey industry
e. How many queen hornets have been found?
33
f. What have staff from the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) been doing?
Searching for them and setting traps
g. What should people in Auckland do?
Report any sightings of hornets or hornet nests
h. How many reports has MPI had so far?
5,050