Vacuuming the orchards

1989/03/01 Elhuyar Zientzia Iturria: Elhuyar aldizkaria

• Nekazaritza

This system reduces the use of insecticides and does not damage beneficial insects.

Lygus is a butterfly ( lygus hesperus) that lives on the tall leaves of strawberries. Below live the insects of the family thripidae. These two insects are harmful to plants. In the lower part lives an mite ( Tetranichus urticae) and although each is the size of a point, a colony can damage the entire plant. In addition, dams that feed on these mites are very sensitive to insecticides. Thus, if the strawberry field is sprayed with enough insecticide to control the butterflies and the Thripidae, the mite hunters will also die and the field may remain in the hands of the mites.

But if butterflies and most Thripidae are eliminated through a vacuum cleaner, mites hunters will be there to do their job.

Insects are sucked by a vacuum cleaner connected to a tractor that in turn kills the bumps. The bodies of dead insects are thrown into the field.