Team up with beneficial insects in farming

Some years, large portions of agricultural crops can be lost due to insect attacks. Traditionally, pesticides have been used to combat these pests. However, pesticides can also harm insects that are highly beneficial to agriculture. Beneficial insects include predators like ladybirds, lacewings, and ground beetles, as well as pollinators such as bumblebees, solitary bees, and hoverflies.

There is increasing focus on reducing the use of pesticides and instead utilising wild insects in agricultural production. Therefore, NIBIO is working on a project aimed at creating suitable habitats for both predatory and pollinating insects.

The ecology of predatory insects and pollinators often overlaps. In some cases, they are even the same species at different life stages.

"Hoverflies and lacewings have this dual role, where their larvae are predators that can consume large numbers of pests, while the adults feed on pollen and nectar," says researcher Dr Marie V. Henriksen.

The intensification of agriculture has led to more monoculture with less diverse plant production, resulting in fewer areas suitable for insects. Open, flower-rich landscapes, blooming field edges, and flower strips are increasingly important for beneficial insects. In addition, insects need suitable nesting and overwintering sites, such as open, untilled sandy soil, rock piles, old trees, or dead wood.

It is also crucial that insects have access to a variety of plants flowering at different times to provide food throughout the season. At NIBIO, researchers are studying how flower strips established with different seed mixes influence pollinators, predatory insects, and pests—both within the flower strips and adjacent agricultural fields.