FORT WAYNE, Ind. (Indiana's NewsCenter) - Hundreds of parasitic wasps are hunting for a place to lay their eggs in Franke Park.
Fortunately, the insects will help people instead of hurting them, and they don't even sting.
"We're hoping that these trees act as incubators to build up the population in Fort Wayne," said Purdue entomologist Cliff Sadof.
Carrying a plastic cup filled with dozens of tiny Chinese wasps, Sadof poured the little insects onto a tree next to Spy Run Creek.
It's the latest effort to combat the rapidly spreading emerald ash borer, which is quickly killing thousands of ash trees across Indiana, Michigan and Ohio.
This method is a form of "biological control."
The adult wasps will hunt for emerald ash borer larvae, which live under the bark of the ash tree. The adults drill small holes in the bark and lay their eggs next to the larvae. Eleven larval wasps can hatch from each egg, and the incredibly hungry little wasps devour the emerald ash borer larvae, keeping them from spreading.
It sounds like a terrible way to die, but it's an attempt to keep thousands of ash trees in Fort Wayne from withering away.
Right now, 20% of the tree canopy in the Summit City is ash, which means thousands of trees are at risk from infestation.
City crews have already cut down hundreds of dying trees, and plan to continue. Once infected by the scourge, the trees slowly starve to death and cannot be saved.
Cutting them down and destroying the wood prevents the spread of the ash borer.
Scientists have been researching this wasp, and two other species, for use in the fight. They say the wasp only poses a threat to the ash borer, and its two cousins.
The research is funded by the federal government, and experiments, like the one in Fort Wayne, will help scientists better understand how to kill off the emerald ash borer.
It will likely take years for the wasp population in Fort Wayne to grow enough to make an impact, and many trees will die before then.
New growths will likely benefit from the wasps, as the emerald ash borer finds Fort Wayne to be an increasingly hostile environment.
Officials believe the emerald ash borer was accidentally introduced to the United States in Michigan in the 1990's, after wooden crates harboring the bug were delivered on a ship or plane.
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