Beneficial insect tents
Open breeding of aphid antagonists in the field for biological aphid control in spring
Project description
After a winter break, aphids become active earlier than their counterparts. This head start can only be made up for late by the antagonists, resulting in high aphid pressure in spring, which is almost impossible for vegetable growers to control biologically.
The ‘beneficial insect tents’ project aims to eliminate this advantage. To this end, special tents are to be developed in which beneficial insects such as hoverflies, ladybirds and aphid parasitic wasps can develop particularly early in the field. The economic benefits of the tents will also be assessed. Successful implementation would represent a significant innovation in the field of biological plant protection and offer both ecologically and economically advantageous alternatives to chemical insecticides.
The planned project duration is October 2024 to September 2027.