Can One Insect Save An Industry?

07:29

January 18, 2012

It's just a tiny brown wasp, smaller than a grain of rice, but experts believe a little bug may be able to save California's $1.8 billion citrus industry from an insect that has already decimated Florida's orange groves.

The Tamarixia Radiata is a predator from Pakistan that scientists are hoping will help eradicate the Asian Citrus Psyllid, an invasive insect that spreads a disease that kills citrus trees and causes economic and environmental problems.

Guest:

Mark Hoddle, entomologist and director of the Center for Invasive Species Research at the University of California, Riverside

This segment aired on January 18, 2012.