Chinese scientists have developed egg parasitic wasps to curb the spread of certain kinds of insect pests.

The new measure has been tested on over 13,300 hectares arable land in 13 provinces and regions, according to a principal of Wuhan Institute of Virology under the Chinese Academy of Sciences, based in this capital of central China's Hubei Province.

The egg parasitic wasps transfer fatal virus by stinging the target pests when spawning their eggs in pest eggs, he said.

The expert explained that pests are infected when they are eggs, and when they grow up, they can carry the epidemic within the species.

The new technology won the second place of the State Technologies and Inventions Prize on January 9 this year and four national patents before.

The technology poses no harm to pest's natural enemies and is pollution free. It has a promising future in preventing and curing pest problems among crops, forests, teas, vegetables and fruits, according to the expert.

(Xinhua News Agency January 14, 2006)