An report by the New Zealand Institute of Economic Research has made a case for introducing Samurai wasps to deal with brown marmorated stink bugs, should they become established in New Zealand.
The Ministry for Primary Industries has introduced new measures against the stink bugs, after turning away car-carrying ships that were discovered to be contaminated earlier this month. The incident highlighted how vulnerable the local economy is to the bug, which originates from Asia and which has established itself in United States and Europe.
The NZIER report, commissioned by the Samurai Wasp Steering group and funded by Horticulture NZ, MPI and several other horticulture groups, said gross domestic product would fall by between $1.8 and $3.6 billion by 2038 if the stink bugs became established.
Nzherald.co.nz reports on the Samurai wasp being one of several natural enemies of the brown marmorated stink bug. The female wasp destroys between 63 and 85 percent of stink bug eggs.
The NZIER, in its report, said the introduction of Samurai wasp would be successful in reducing yield loss if the stink bug became established. In addition, the need for pesticides would be reduced.
