Azerbaijan Releases Samurai Wasps to Combat Crop-Damaging Pest
Jerusalem, 7 July, 2026 (TPS-IL) -- Baku (AZERTAC) – Azerbaijan’s Agricultural Services Agency (ASA) under the Ministry of Agriculture has started releasing Samurai bees into the natural environment in Zagatala and Balakan districts as part of biological control measures to prevent the spread of brown marbled bee, a dangerous pest of agricultural plants. In this regard, a field trip was organized to Zagatala and Balakan districts with the participation of local and foreign experts to implement and monitor biological control measures.
The initiative is being implemented with the support of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).
AZERTAC’s regional correspondent reports that ASA has begun breeding Samurai bees released into the natural environment in laboratory conditions. As part of the process, it is planned to continue work on gradually expanding the application of biological control measures to other regions of the country, studying advanced international experience and adapting them to local conditions.
The event aims to expand the application of environmentally safe, sustainable and scientifically based control methods against pests that cause serious economic damage to agricultural crops in the country. The biological control program is implemented based on international experience and the process is carried out with the assistance and professional advice of experts invited from Turkey.
The use of Samurai bees is based on the principle of natural parasitization of brown marmorated beetle eggs. Beneficial insects prevent the reproduction of the pest by destroying its eggs, reducing its population and contributing to the minimization of the use of chemical pesticides. This biological control method is environmentally safe and sustainable, and is considered an effective means of protecting agricultural crops.
The release of Samurai bees into the fields takes into account the distribution status of the pest and the results are being monitored.
