Invasive parasitic wasp to be released

Tuesday, 5 September 2023 06:30

Scientists are going to introduce an invasive species in cantons Jura and Ticino in the hope it will help control another invasive species.

The cherry fruit fly was first detected in Switzerland in 2011 – it comes from East Asia.

It devastates soft fruits by laying its eggs inside and causing them to rot.

The hope is by introducing a parasite wasp, also from East Asia, it will help control the cherry fruit fly as it preys on the lain eggs.

But it's unsure how well the wasp will acclimatize to the Swiss climate. But it has already been successfully introduced in Italy, France and the US.

More from Bitesize News

Geneva could foot the G7 bill

Geneva fears it will be left with the security bill from a G7 summit just across the border in Évian, according to 24 heures.
US NGO discovers Swiss child abuse cases

Switzerland relies too heavily on an American NGO to detect child sexual abuse online, raising questions about the country's ability to protect children on its own.
French singer banned by Paleo

The Paléo Festival in Nyon says it will no longer invite French singer Patrick Bruel, after a former volunteer accused him of inappropriate behaviour.
Cars going uninspected

The cantons are struggling to keep up with mandatory vehicle inspections, leaving more than 550,000 checks overdue nationwide.
War may lead to rent rises

Rents may rise again, says the bank Raiffeisen.
Not a heatwave, yet

Summer has arrived, with temperatures climbing past 30 over the long weekend. Basel reached 31 and Sion hit 32.4, but MeteoSwiss, says this does not yet count as an official heatwave.