Pest control and monitoring
Pest Control
Biological pest control is presented as an alternative to the use of chemically synthesized phytosanitary products.
Its strategy consists of evaluating the state of the pest and subsequent treatment, either through the release of natural enemies, which can be insects and mites with predatory or parasitoid capacity, or even through the use of entomopathogenic microorganisms.
In our entomology laboratory we produce and commercialize several natural enemies.
The implementation of this strategy in Integrated Pest Management programs makes it possible to obtain healthier food, with less waste and respectful of the environment.
PEST CONTROL AND MONITORING
Pest Monitoring
Pest monitoring consists of a work protocol that indicates, in a substantiated and proven manner, the procedure to be followed to control pests in the most efficient way and with the least damage to the biological balance.
Pest management systems that use all appropriate techniques and methods, in the most compatible manner, to keep pest populations below the damage threshold.
The most common pest monitoring techniques use various types of monitoring traps such as food traps, light traps, chromatic traps, etc., which are gradually giving way to sex pheromone traps, which are much more specific and precise.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is sexual confusion?
The technique of pest control through sexual confusion consists of permanently diffusing, during the flight of adults, pheromone synthesized from the female in the air to confuse the male and make it difficult to locate the female and mate her, thus preventing the female from being fertilized. It is an environmentally friendly technique, the entomophagous fauna and useful fauna mites do not leave phytosanitary residues on the fruit.
It can be as effective as chemical treatments when applied to large crop areas. It is very important to place diffusers in the plots at the beginning of the flight of the first generation, to distribute them homogeneously and to foresee a special reinforcement on the perimeters of the plots, especially during the first years.
What is mass trapping?
Pest control through flight monitoring and mass trapping is carried out with the use of traps with attractants in crop areas to detect the presence of certain pest species, to determine flight periods and the abundance of adults in these periods. This information is used technically to determine and decide the times and areas where to apply the appropriate chemical treatments deemed necessary.
The distribution of a certain density of traps in the farms allows the capture of a sufficiently high number of adults to avoid crop damage. This procedure has led to traps being used not only to monitor the specific pest but also to control certain species by mass trapping, in many cases, without having to apply any insecticide treatment.
What does biological control consist of?
Biological control of agricultural, forestry and urban green spaces pests is presented as an alternative to the use of chemically synthesized phytosanitary products. This strategy consists of the release of natural enemies, which can be insects and mites with predatory or parasitoid capacity, and the use of entomopathogenic microorganisms.
OpenNatur markets several natural enemies, producing some of them in its facilities. The implementation of this strategy in integrated pest protection programs allows for healthier, less wasteful and environmentally friendly foods.
