Over the next year, BioBee Biological Systems at Kibbutz Sde Eliyahu in northern Israel will ship some 600 million specially bred predatory mites to farmers in Colombia as a natural form of pest control.
Using the Phytoseiulus persimilis, the most effective natural predator of Tetranychus urticae (red spider mite), will allow the farmers to reduce the amount of pesticides they use by up to 80 percent and thus meet standards for exporting their produce to other countries.
The BioPersimilis predatory mite works well against mites that attack peppers, tomatoes, potatoes, beans, maize, cucumber, melon, strawberries, eggplant and ornamental flowers such as roses. This top-selling two-millimeter-long, pear-shaped creature is used by most of California’s strawberry farmers, comprising BioBee’s single largest market.