Lesser of two weevils

WE HAVEN’T been down to Creepy-Crawly Corner lately, much to Gary’s disappointment. He loves drawing bugs, slugs and assorted insects. Over the years this column has brought you news of some exotic species, including the Horrid Ground-Weaver Spider, the Whirlpool Ramshorn Snail and, my all-time fave, the Depressed River Mussel. So I couldn’t resist a story this week about the arrival in Britain of the Brown Marmorated Stink Bug, which feeds on strawberries and is now threatening crops just in time for Wimbledon. The bug, which emits a smell of rotting rubbish, has turned up in Essex. There have also been unconfirmed sightings in Hampshire. Defra, the environment department, is now considering importing the stink bug’s natural predator to control numbers. Known as the Samurai Wasp, it orginates in Asia and has already been deployed successfully in New Zealand. But I can’t help wondering which is the lesser of two weevils — the stink bug or the samurai. Do we really want hordes of Japanese warrior wasps rampaging around the countryside, wielding their fearsome Shogun-style swords? Gary, it’s over to you . . . Banzai!