A black, two millimeter long East African wasp is helping protect wiliwili and coral bean trees in Hawaii from the invasive gall wasp. The gall wasp arrived in Hawaii in 2005 and quickly found the wiliwili and coral bean tree to feed and reproduce. The gall wasps feed inside these trees, causing the trees to become curled and misshaped. Severe infestations can eventually kill the tree. After much research, scientist found the East African wasp (
Eurytoma erythrinae) and released it in 2008 as a biocontrol agent.
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