Saw this article on facebook with TONS of comments from people insisting this was “a terrible idea” and laughing about it, comparing it to the Cane Toad fiasco in Australia or the “Chinese Needle Snakes” bit from the Simpsons.
Most of you probably know this, but just in case, what they’re talking about here are parasitoid wasps, and parasites are generally so adapted to the immune systems of their specific host species that they find it difficult or impossible to infect other animals. This is especially true of parasitoid wasps; the one that infects the spotted lanternfly would die instantly in the body of even other lanternfly species.
This type of biocontrol is 100% safe, the only issue is that it can’t really *eliminate* an invasive species, since parasites naturally reach a population balance with their hosts.