Insects from Kazakhstan to help Australia save millions of dollars

An insect called ichneumon fly (Mastrus Wasp) could help Australia save millions of dollars, Tengrinews.kz reports, citing Express-K. Several hundred of insects have been already delivered to Frankston airport. Australian agriculture has been experiencing a serious problem with codling moth (a pest that affects apple and pear trees). Local farmers are not able to cope with the pest with the help of pesticides, because the insects quickly get used to the chemical attacks. According to Australian scientists it is Mastrus Wasp ichneumon fly that could save the fruit gardens from the pest. The fly harbors only in Kazakhstan. “If we let things slide, the whole fruitage would be lost. I have seen gardens with 100 percent of trees infested. The ichneumon fly could help us increase productivity of our gardens and it will save us from synthetic pesticide usage,” David Williams, chief research fellow from Australian Victorian Department of Primary Industries (DPI) said. Kazakhstani ichneumon flies testing is scheduled to start next autumn.