Giresun releases 130,000 samurai wasps to fight brown stink bug infestation

In July 2026, Turkey’s Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry deployed 130,000 samurai wasps in Giresun’s Tirebolu district as part of an integrated biological‑chemical programme against the brown marmorated stink bug (kahverengi kokarca).  The initiative, announced by the agency’s food‑control director Ersin Dilber, highlighted the pest’s first Turkish appearance in 2017 and the severe damage it caused to hazelnut orchards in Ordu and Giresun in 2023.  Turkey now produces up to 1.6 million samurai wasps annually, using them alongside targeted insecticide treatments, habitat management and cooperation with local municipalities, agricultural offices and growers.

The programme’s effectiveness was noted by regional trade officials, who reported a visible decline in pest populations and credited the wasps for parasitising stink‑bug eggs.  Samurai wasps have also been exported to neighbouring Azerbaijan, extending the biocontrol effort beyond Turkey’s borders.