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Invasive insects cause billions of dollars in damage each year

Invasive insects cause at least $77 billion in damage every year, according to a study released Tuesday that says this figure is "grossly underestimated" because it covers only a fraction of the globe.

Climate change is on track to boost the area affected by nearly 20 percent before mid-century, the authors reported in the journal Nature Communications.

Canvassing more than 700 recent scientific studies, researchers looked at the impact of non-native species on goods and services, healthcare and agricultural output.

The best way to combat this growing threat — spread mainly through international commerce -- is not more pesticides, said Franck Courchamp of France's National Centre for Scientific Research.

"We've seen how well that worked," he told AFP.

Nor is it genetic manipulation such as gene drive, a technology that makes it possible to engineer local extinctions by releasing males into the wild that produce only male offspring.

"The solution is better 'bio-security'," said Courchamp.

"This includes inspection of [the] ship and air cargo from certain regions, legislation to ensure that high-risk imports must be treated and rapid eradication of new incursions."

Read more at Public Radio International
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