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Early Access - Samurai Wasps vs. Stink Bugs! (Patreon)
Content
Yep, brown marmorated stink bugs are stinky, but that’s not the worst thing about them. They're imported agricultural pests eating their way across North America. But a native enemy from Asia – the tiny samurai wasp – has a particularly nasty method of stopping stink bugs in their tracks.
It looks rather harmless at first glance. With a speckled exterior and a shield-like shape, the brown marmorated stink bug doesn’t appear to be any different from any other six-legged insect that might pop up in your garden. But this particular bug, which arrived in the U.S. from Asia in the mid-1990s and smells like old socks when it is squashed, is a real nuisance. Not only can it invade homes by the thousands in the wintertimeinvade homes by the thousands in the wintertime, it’s one formidable agricultural pest, eating millions of dollars of peaches, apples and other crops since 2010.
With its voracious appetite -- it feeds on over 170 different types of plants -- the stink bug has been steadily spreading across the country and is now wreaking havoc in 44 states. Farmers have been relying on pesticideshave been relying on pesticides to try and keep them at bay, but they’re expensive, not always effective and may actually harm helpful insects instead.
Scientists are now investigating a new tactic in the war on the stink bugs: the possibility of relying on one of the bug’s natural enemies, the samurai wasp.
A female wasp will lay its own egg inside of a stink bug’s egg. About two weeks later, an adult samurai wasp will emerge.
We hope you enjoy this first look at our newest episode. You can start sharing it with other science fans on Tuesday, March 12 from YouTube. Thanks!
