Canadian scientists use bees to deliver pesticides
- 9 years ago
Canadian researchers discovered that they can use bees to drop off pest control agents while they pollinate crops.
The new method is known as bees vectoring. The bees were forced to walk through a try of organic pest controls when they leave their hives. The pest control then sticks to the bee's legs and hair. The bees then delivers the pest control, fungus Beauveria bassiana to the plants through pollination.
According to CBC, both bumblebees and honeybees have successfully distributed the fungus Beauveria bassiana to greenhouse sweet peppers, which kills pests like whiteflies, aphids and lygus.
It was reported by Popular Science that this method could reduce some fungal diseases by 80 percent in greenhouse crops. It could also reduce the amount of time and money spent on spraying plants with chemical pesticides. This method could be applied both indoor and outdoor crops.
The new method is known as bees vectoring. The bees were forced to walk through a try of organic pest controls when they leave their hives. The pest control then sticks to the bee's legs and hair. The bees then delivers the pest control, fungus Beauveria bassiana to the plants through pollination.
According to CBC, both bumblebees and honeybees have successfully distributed the fungus Beauveria bassiana to greenhouse sweet peppers, which kills pests like whiteflies, aphids and lygus.
It was reported by Popular Science that this method could reduce some fungal diseases by 80 percent in greenhouse crops. It could also reduce the amount of time and money spent on spraying plants with chemical pesticides. This method could be applied both indoor and outdoor crops.