June 15, 2017
A female parasitic wasp.
Wasp feeds on EAB larvae
Researchers at the Great Lakes Forestry Centre in Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., are planning on rearing 10- to 12,000 tiny Tetrastichus wasps, which feed on emerald ash borer larvae.
Dr. Krista Ryall of Natural Resources Canada hopes these new wasps can help stem the spread of the borer, which so far has killed millions of ash trees in Canada and the U.S.
The wasps will be spread across six new release sites in Ontario and Quebec, she said. But the presence of this parasitic army shouldn’t alarm anyone. “They don’t attack humans,” Ryall said. “They don’t bite or sting or anything like that. It only likes to eat emerald ash borer. So really, that’s its only host that it’s out there looking for.”
Dr. Krista Ryall of Natural Resources Canada hopes these new wasps can help stem the spread of the borer, which so far has killed millions of ash trees in Canada and the U.S.
The wasps will be spread across six new release sites in Ontario and Quebec, she said. But the presence of this parasitic army shouldn’t alarm anyone. “They don’t attack humans,” Ryall said. “They don’t bite or sting or anything like that. It only likes to eat emerald ash borer. So really, that’s its only host that it’s out there looking for.”