[APWG] NEWS: USDA sends in wasps to save water supply

[Olivia Kwong]

http://www.themonitor.com/articles/water_24020___article.html/reed_wasps.html

USDA sends in wasps to save water supply
March 8, 2009 - 4:45 PM
Melissa McEver - Valley Freedom Newspapers

In Mexico, the tall, bamboo-like plants are known as el ladron de agua, or 
the "water thief." And for good reason.

The giant reed, also known as carrizo cane or Spanish reed, grows in dense 
thickets all along the Rio Grande and often siphons off large quantities 
of water from the river, according to experts. The plant, imported from 
the Mediterranean in the 1500s, frequently chokes off waterways, depletes 
water availability, destabilizes river banks and crowds out native plants, 
researchers say.

See the link above for the full article text.