Plant and Food Research has released a new biological control agent to help control codling moth in apples.
One thousand small parasitoid wasps, Mastrus ridens, were being released in Hawke's Bay on Thursday.
Pipfruit New Zealand technical manager Mike Butcher says it costs between $8 million and $12 million a year to control codling moth.
He says the introduction of the Mastrus wasp will help to reduce the need for growers using chemical sprays and is an important step in meeting the quarantine requirements in New Zealand's premium apple export markets.
