• Diamond back moth

  species. It is highly migratory and wind-borne adults can travel long distances to invade crops in other regions. Damage symptoms The caterpillar is a surface [...] xylostella) is suggested to have its origin in Europe, South Africa or East Asia, but is now present wherever its cruciferous hosts exist and it is considered [...] stems or petioles. There are four larval instars. The body tapers at both ends and is green, sometimes suffused with pale yellow, with a few short hairs and

• Shallot aphid

  shallot aphid Aphids have a complex life cycle, with both winged and wingless forms of adults and a great variety in colour. In greenhouses, reproduction [...] overwintering and there is no sexual stage in the life cycle. No eggs are produced. Myzus ascalonicus is cold hardy and overwinters in sheltered places [...] The shallot aphid is cosmopolitan and widely spread in Europe. Damage symptoms Feeding of shallot aphid on strawberries invokes a strong host plant reaction

• Transforming crop protection: the rise of predatory mites

  September 8, 2025

  and, eventually, a pivotal role in shaping the course of biological control in Spain. A passion for insects – and a new beginning in Almeria After studying [...] It all started with a stick, a spider nest, and a curious boy exploring the Andalusian countryside. From a young age, José Eduardo Belda (Innovation Manager [...] first time, predatory mites offered a working, scalable solution for growers - and it triggered a real shift in mentality in Almeria.” Scaling up: strawberries

• Pierce's disease of grapevine

  depends on the plant species: in peach, bacteria are found in high numbers in the roots, whereas in plum, high numbers are found in leaves and fruits. The bacteria [...] with frost periods in which the bacteria inside the dormant plants die. Also, in many regions there is no overwintering of adult vectors that may cause [...] Recently, it is becoming more problematic in olive. Damage symptoms Grapevines: Primary infection of leaves results in leaf scorch. Part of a green leaf

• Nematodes significantly reduce Tuta larvae

  larvae in his crop. ‘This is the first year we have applied Steinernema feltiae and after the first cycle of three nematode treatments, we saw a reduction [...] greenhouses in the ‘90s for growing tomatoes using innovative production techniques. ‘Today, this allows us to offer a consistent quality that is safe and [...] continues. ‘It is better to use them when the larvae are small in order to maximize their effect. When the moment comes, we apply them 3 times at a 5-day interval

• Spotted Wing Drosophila

  SWD females by a large dark spot on each wing, where their common name is derived from. Females have a strong saw-like ovipositor that is used to penetrate [...] the start of its invasion in 2008/2009, the spotted wing drosophila, which is originally from Asia, has spread extensively in North and South America and [...] and appearance of Spotted wing drosophila Adult spotted-wing drosophila are small, 2-3 mm in lengthg, and have a wingspan of 6-8 mm. Males are smaller than

• Sustainable cultivation goes much further than pests and natural enemies

  April 19, 2018

  Technology is also gaining in importance in the world of practice. Peter Maes points to outdoor crops, where Koppert is continuing to gain ground in major crops [...] butterflies... and while there is nothing wrong with that image, it is definitely a romanticized version of reality. Ultimately, progress is made by following [...] However, there are still many interactions between plants and their environment about which we still know too little. There is particular potential in discovering

• Leaf miners

  the family Agromyzidae. This is a family of small flies whose larvae tunnel into the leaves of plants, creating ‘mines’. There are many species of leaf miner [...] species that cause damage in horticultural crops are mostly polyphagous; that is, they feed on many crops. However, this is not universal among the Agromyzidae [...] to burning in fruit such as tomato and melon. Loss of leaves also reduces yield. In full-grown plants of fruiting vegetable crops, however, a considerable

• Sportnem_leaflet_EN_A4_-_Koppert_20230441_-_DEF_LR.pdf

  oleracea, which is present in parts of Europe and the USA, has two generations per year, one in autumn, with overwintering larvae and one in summer. Sportnem-T [...] also known as the May bug is a large brown chafer of 25-30 mm length, with characteristic forked antennae. The adults can be seen in early summer when they [...] date on the package. Store in a dark place at 2-6°C. 03-2023 Pre and post irrigation requires an adjuvant. A soil conditioner is recommended. When possible

• Phytoseiulus persimilis

  outbreak is quickly and effectively dealt with, but the disadvantage is that it disappears rapidly in the absence of suitable prey. When prey is in short [...] deutonymph and adult, except for the resting period in the larval and nymphal stages. On plants, the oval eggs are usually deposited close to, or in a spider mite [...] deutonymphal and adult stages the mites feed almost continuously. Protonymphs and deutonymphs are similar to the adults in appearance, but smaller in size. Best