Why insects may be nature’s most effective pesticide

With demand for chemical-free foods on the rise, farmers across the world have been swapping pesticides for more natural forms of pest control — including other pests. Sugarcane farmers in Brazil, for instance, have begun blanketing their crops in wasp eggs. Once hatched and mature, these wasps will then inject their own eggs into those of the sugarcane borer, thereby preventing the pernicious moths from growing. This is just one of many similar techniques being adopted across the globe, though as BBC News reports, tampering with nature still involves some risk. “In a biological system you can never be 100% certain what the outcome will be,” said Dr. Dick Shaw of CABI, a UK-based agricultural research organization. “So you need to manage your risks.”