Wasps’ No. 1 enemy

Press, 25 September 1987, Page 4

Wasps’ No. 1 enemy

Mr Peter Read, a technical officer in the D.S.I.R.’s Entomology Division, with some of the boxes of wasp parasites that he has been distributing throughout the South Island this spring. He is holding specimens of the "enemy” — German wasps and common wasps, whose numbers have increased dramatically in recent years. The boxes contain about 100 cocoons each of

a wasp parasite, originally imported from Switzerland and now being bred at Lincoln for release in the field. The parasites will start emerging from the boxes at the end of this month and will search for wasp nests to lay their eggs. The young parasites will then eat the developing wasp larvae. About 28,000 parasites will be released this season, but Mr Read said

that the effect on wasp numbers would not be noticeable immediately. If the project succeeds in establishing the parasite in the wild, there could be a noticeable reduction in four or five years. The D.S.I.R. hopes to double production of its breeding programme, and begin releasing parasites in the North Island next season.