Listen
Heavily infested German queen wasp. Image © Dr Bob Brown.
A breed of mites may provide a solution to the South Island's huge wasp problem. It's believed the number of wasps in the South's beech forests is the highest in the world, with the insects posing a number of health, environmental, and economic risks. The prospect of mites cutting the wasp population came to light in a survey carried out by Landcare Research.