George Heimpel / Jeremy Chacón

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University of Minnesota entomologist George Heimpel and his student Jeremy Chacón are researching parasitic wasps, a beneficial insect that kills soybean aphids. Every year the soybean aphid destroys crops worth millions of dollars. The stingless parasitic wasp, although the size of a pinhead, is a powerful natural predator of the aphid. If successful, the wasps will help lower the use of chemical insecticides that are currently used to control pests like the aphid. Wasp releases will initially be made in cages to gauge their effectiveness. If all goes well, our aphid problem, and similar problems in the future, will be taken care of simply by helping nature takes its course.

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