Biological pest control

Emerald ash borer tunnels scar an infested ash tree near the Merrimack River in New Hampshire. The invasive borers have killed millions of ash trees in North America over the last decade. Now researchers are releasing a small parasitic wasp in a last ditc

The invasive emerald ash borer has killed millions of trees, but researchers hope a wasp can save some of the survivors

Environment

Ash trees across North America have been falling by the million to an invasive beetle from China, the emerald ash borer. Now scientists in New Hampshire and elsewhere are introducing another bug from China in a last-ditch effort to save some ash trees.

A vial full of Tamarixia radiata wasps, the size of a grain of sea salt. They are stored inside incubators before they are released to feast on their natural prey, the Asian citrus psyllid.

How do you control an Asian bug that’s killing American citrus? Import its tiny natural predator

Environment

Brazil taking tentative steps to protect marine biodiversity

Environment
The World

Emerging Science Note/Social Birds

Wave of Death

Listener Letters

Comments from our listeners on recent stories on bottled drinking water, population growth, and the ant-repelling herb Tansy.

The World

Pesticides Self-Defeating

Commentator Ruth Page says that, by speeding up evolution among pests which develop genes resistant to the poison, users of pesticides are headed for certain frustration. She recommends the organic alternative: integrated pest management.

BirdNote ® – Shorebirds on the Wing

North American shorebirds are flocking south for the winter.

Bird Lovers Build Bird Database

Volunteers are sorting through 90 years of handwritten notes documenting the migration habits of birds to digitize the information and make it accessible to researchers.

The World

Birds in Freefall

A major new report finds our feathered friends in trouble, but also finds a few success stories taking wing.