ways to fight insect pests they can be the most original in agriculture. While in California there are those that replace polluting pesticides for owls and owls, in France chickens are used to avoid pesticides in crops. Now an organic farmer in Australia has invented vacuum system to kill insects that destroy plants.
Brendon Hoyle is a farmer. Awarded ‘Australian Organic Farmer of the Year 2022’. Tired of enduring the devastation of fruit flies on his Queensland farms, he designed a device that was nothing more than a large tractor-pulled “bug broom.”
Thanks to this system, it saves permanent costs by eliminating the use of pesticides and also prevents damage to ecosystems and even the product itself.
In this way, also You can extend the organic growing season from winter to spring.. This was because it had previously been impossible to sell fruit after winter due to an insect outbreak on his farm in the Glass House Mountains in Queensland.
The enemy of the strawberry is the fruit fly
These giant vacuum cleaners have been recognized in your country as an innovative solution to the problem of perennial agricultural pests. And this fruit fly causes Australian farmers to lose hundreds of millions of dollars a year. It is an insect that lays its eggs in the sap of fruits and vegetables, causing them to rot.
Brendom was inspired by a similar invention she had observed in the United States and decided to refine it to apply to her own crops. This is how he built the triple drum model. It is equipped with large fans to suck up insects in the plant and soil and then crush them against a perforated grill. the part covering the upper part of said drums.
This agriculture confirms this way succeeded in reducing the number of insects between 75% and 90%. After using this system for two consecutive years. For strawberries, place the device about four inches away from the plants and a strong suction is created to attract insects from the leaves.
for now This prevents the system from acting against beneficial insects such as bees.the vacuum cleaner that needs to be protected is only used for a few weeks at the end of the strawberry growing season. Their use is carefully timed so that they do not necessarily coincide with the presence of honey bees and other essential organisms.
Reference article: https://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/2022-12-04/bug-vacuum-strawberries-queensland-fruit-fly-australian-organic/101706370
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Contact address of the environment department: [email protected]