Like many of us, insects love nibbling on a good piece of fruit or veg. Growers find themselves having to perform a delicate balancing act that limits the damage caused by insect pests without using pesticides that leave residues on the harvested produce or killing the insects that benefit their crops.

Scientists are looking at new tools, like biotremology, to control insect pests

Fruit and vegetable growers have a toolbox of science to help them manage insects that could damage their crops. These tools help growers use natural methods to keep pests under control and provide warning signals so they can act before numbers get too large, minimising the use of chemical pesticides unless necessary. New technologies are being added all the time, including advanced weather warnings and monitoring systems that signal a tipping point is imminent, using sound and motion to stop insects from landing on plants, and flooding orchards with sterile females and pheromones so that male insects get distracted and don’t successfully mate. New tools are also created when new insect pests have made it past our borders [link the biosecurity case study].

Using these tools, apple growers have reduced their chemical usage by 70%, vegetable growers by 60%, and potato growers by 30%. These tools are mandatory in kiwifruit orchards that export fruit and are used in the 98% of New Zealand’s vineyard area certified under Sustainable Winegrowing New Zealand.

With many countries banning the use of some chemical pesticides, along with strict requirements on imports – where a single insect in a shipment can close the border for all New Zealand produce – these scientifically-designed tools can ensure New Zealand’s fruit, vegetable and wine can be enjoyed by consumers at home and abroad.