BIOLOGICAL CONTROL OF CROP PESTS

Biological pest control has become more and more important and many pesticide users are beginning to realise that it is possible to work with Nature to combat pests. Technology is such that we can ‘formulate’ living organisms such as fungi and bacteria just as we would formulate chemical pesticides. These live ‘active ingredients’ can be applied to crops with the same application methods as traditional pesticides.With the gift of technology, scientists are exploring this world for answers to human and environmental problems. Some of the answers to our pest problems may be right under our noses, such as the tiniest microbe in the soil, a fungus, bacterium, virus or nematode or one of the many parasitic or predatory insects that can found in our crops and surrounding natural vegetation.

This website therefore supports the careful consideration of all available pest control techniques and subsequent integration of appropriate measures that discourage the development of pest populations and minimise the risks to human health and the environment. Emphasis is on the encouragement of natural pest control mechanisms.