Farmers team up with wasps to fight aphids

Parasitic wasps are helping Australian potato farmers control aphids, which eat their crop and spread disease.

Australian potato growers have found an unlikely ally in their battle against destructive aphids.

Several species of aphids that feed on potatoes are developing resistance to common pesticides used by farmers, according to horticultural body AUSVEG, but parasitic wasps could prove to be the silver bullet.

Three species of parasitic wasps can inject their eggs into young aphids, which then hatch and feed on the inside of the pest before emerging through a hole in the their back.

"While it may sound grisly, this method of controlling aphid populations can deliver valuable benefits to potato growers by offering an option which doesn't run the risk of increasing chemical resistance among aphid populations," AUSVEG spokesman Shaun Lindhe said.