This article was taken from the March 2014 issue of Wired magazine. Be the first to read Wired's articles in print before they're posted online, and get your hands on loads of additional content by subscribing online.
São Paulo-based Bug Agentes Biológicos harnesses a new technology to fight agricultural pests: stingless wasps. "Stingless wasps are natural parasites of many of the pests that plague crops," says Diogo Carvalho, an agronomist and CEO of Bug.
The firm's wasps replace chemical pesticides for a range of pests, such as the velvetbean caterpillar, which targets soya plantations.
Founded in 2001 as a spin-off from the University of São Paulo's agriculture technology incubator, Bug can breed enough wasps for 100,000 per hectare. Depending on the pests, Bug selects its natural parasite wasp, mass-produces it in the laboratory and sends the eggs to its clients. "The wasps lay their own eggs inside the eggs of the pests," says Carvalho. "As the pest population decreases, naturally so will the wasps', because they are unable to breed. Previously, you couldn't use biological control on this scale."
This article was originally published by WIRED UK
