To manage pests on your farm, as a grower, you need to know which types of pests occur and how they develop throughout the year. Additionally, you require knowledge about possible control measures and when it is best to apply them. Pest alerts can assist growers in this regard. For over 20 years, Inagro offers a pest alert service for organic leek and cabbage crops, sending the pest bulletins for free to growers who wish to receive them. Through this project, Inagro and PSKW aimed to strengthen and expand this service. In 2022, we monitored various pests in more than 10 crops on the fields of six farms (three in the Antwerp region and three in West Flanders) and on our own trial fields. In 2023, Inagro visited three additional sites weekly from April to October. For the monitoring, more attention was devoted to important polyphagous pests such as bean fly and Colorado beetle, as well as the presence of natural enemies. In 2022 and 2023, we sent 12 and 13 warning messages, respectively, addressing 159 to 239 recipients.
Certain monitoring techniques that we have been applying for a long time, such as pheromone traps, can be even more efficiently utilized by incorporating new technologies. We tested two types of camera traps. To observe or attract beneficial organisms, attractants were developed, and we explored their potential.
Lastly, we wanted to support and encourage growers to monitor pests on their farms themselves. For this purpose, we organized a grower workshop, created 10 identification sheets for important pest species, and compiled a pest calendar for three crop groups.