Winning the Psyllid War Biologically

I hope readers of Jack E. Christensen’s Jan. 29 “Garden Q&A;” column do not follow his advice to prune off the new growth of eugenia bushes to combat psyllids.

Dr. Donald Dahlsten, a professor of biological control at UC Berkeley, brought from Australia a natural enemy of the psyllid, a tiny wasp the size of a fleck of pepper. Four thousand of the wasps were released in 1993 at four locations statewide. All the new growth on our eugenia is now very healthy. Pesticides would kill the little wasps, who are winning their war biologically.

JANET SCHMIDT, Glendale