Why tiny keyhole wasps are threatening plane safety at Brisbane Airport

A tiny insect that evaded Australia’s strict biosecurity controls is multiplying and threatening plane safety at Brisbane Airport.

Native to Central and South America and the Caribbean, the keyhole wasp first caused problems at the airport in 2013, when it forced an Etihad Airways A330 bound for Singapore to turn back minutes into the flight.

Once on the ground, maintenance workers found the pilot’s pitot tube – the hollow instrument on the outside of the plane that measures airspeed – was…