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Great questions. The wasps kill mealybugs by laying an egg inside the mealybug, so they use the mealybugs to reproduce. Mealybugs are food for the beetles. I don't know of any agricultural diseases that are spread by the wasps or the beetles - both beneficial insects have been around for a long time, which is why we feel safe releasing them. One interesting article I read out of the University of Georgia said some beneficial wasps infect their prey (other insects) with a virus. Not all viruses are "bad" - they are just another category of microbes which exist on our planet. Likewise, not all invasive species are "bad" - invasive simply means non-native and the term bad is relative. The invasive vine mealybug has been extremely destructive in the wine industry due to its efficiency at spreading detrimental viruses to grapevines. Hope this helps!

@@lodiwinegrapecommission7266 thanks for the reply. I'm all for it, especially since grapes are such a huge industry in this area. Just checking if those are things that are looked at. Don't want to destroy something else, or another industry in the process of helping one agricultural field. Just hope everyone looks at the long term affects without acting rash. Thanks again. Hope it all works out good and helps.

@@craigwilson8255 Thanks for thinking of the big picture - we couldn't agree more!

Thanks Chris - your ending makes me laugh every single time I watch!

Thanks Val!