In Hawaii, parasites and viruses team up in the battle against fruit flies – an entomologist explains the implication for global pest control

Diachasmimorpha longicaudata, a parasitoid wasp that helps control pests. Sheina Sim, CC BY

Take a stroll along one of the beaches on Hawaii Island in late summer, and you’ll likely stumble upon almond-shaped fruits lying in the sand. Known as false kamani nuts, or tropical almonds, they fall from tall, shady Terminalia catappa trees that line the many picturesque ocean views on the island.

But what may not be clear to the casual beachgoer is that there’s a fight for survival occurring within the flesh of these unassuming fruits. Tropical almonds are one of many active battlegrounds in a war between a global agricultural pest, a parasitic wasp and a beneficial virus.