A Rotorua woman says she is forced to shut herself inside her home as "millions" of wasps from a neighbouring property swarm around her house.

Lynne Coutts says she is allergic and could experience severe swelling if stung.

She says she believed the wasps that recently began invading her Ngongotahā property come from an underground nest in the large vacant section next door, but has struggled to contact the landowners to discuss a solution.

Lynne says she contacted two councils and was initially told they could not help but now hopes her wasp woes will end after a Rotorua Lakes Council visit on Sunday.

She says the wasp plague started late last month and was worst in hot weather.

When the wasps were bad, Lynne says she would shut herself inside and watch as her bird feeder was "smothered" by the stinging pests.

Her dogs' kennel was in the pests' path so she would bring them inside too.

Sometimes the swarm would be so thick her husband could not do work outside.

Lynne says the wasp plague started late last month and was worst in hot weather.

"You couldn't move for bloody wasps."

Lynne says the neighbouring land was overgrown and near a stream, making it an ideal home for the pests.

She says she had not seen a landowner there in more than 20 years, and her frustration at the situation peaked as she struggled to find the owners.

Lynne says she was willing to pay for pest control but could not act until she spoke to someone about it.

"It's not on my land."

When Local Democracy Reporting visited Lynne at home last week, wasps were darting around between her garden and the vacant property over the fence.

Lynne says there were hundreds around that evening as they headed back to the nest.

The cooler weather had brought some reprieve from the "millions" of wasps previously seen but she said she feared the nest would get bigger come spring if not dealt to.

Lynne says she called both Bay of Plenty Regional Council and Rotorua Lakes Council about the wasps on 29 February, but told Local Democracy Reporting she understood from the initial response the situation was considered "not their problem".

The regional council lists wasps as an advisory pest.

Its biosecurity team leader Shane Grayling said it empathised with Lynne's situation but could not enforce the control of wasps under its pest management plan.

Wasps were too "well-established" in the region to be included in the plan.

"Advisory pests are acknowledged to be invasive and we will support landowners with advice, but do not have the large-scale funding to follow-up on boundary complaints and general sightings.

"The landowner could look into technology such as pheromone traps, to attract the queen wasp."

The regional council was the lead agency for pest management, says Rotorua Lakes Council district development general manager Jean-Paul Gaston.

"Following Mrs Coutts' initial call an enquiry was made with our regulatory team last week."

LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.