They're the stinging, flying pests we all love to hate, but new research says wasps may not be as bad as we think. Introduced Asian and Australian paper wasps may play a more complex ecological role in New Zealand than thought, and may even help to control some agricultural pests, according to a recent study published in NeoBiota. "However, this study shows their ecological roles may be much more complex than realised, and may contribute to biocontrol of major agricultural pests." The researchers collected 48 wasp nests belonging to two species of paper wasps (Polistes chinensis and P humilis) from around Auckland. Using high-throughput DNA sequencing, they then analysed the prey species within those samples.

Source: New Zealand Herald November 18, 2020 02:03 UTC