RESEARCHERS in Kenya say a natural means of eradicating the stemborer pest -- the main enemy of maize -- is a 3-mm-long wasp, native to Pakistan.

Scientists at the International Centre for Insect Physiology and Ecology are reassuring environmentalists who fear that though the wasp may be an economical and environmentally acceptable way to eradicate the stemborer, introducing it into Africa could upset the continent's ecological balance.

American entomologist Bill Overholt points out that the Pakistani wasp has been introduced in other parts of the world and there have been "absolutely no reports of detrimental effects".