Fruit flies
Keeping your orchard pest-free. By Dane McDonald. It is the trouble every fruit grower is trying to avoid— finding a fruit-fly larva— just one hit can ruin the day, if not the entire season. “Nobody wants a maggot in their…
Keeping your orchard pest-free. By Dane McDonald. It is the trouble every fruit grower is trying to avoid— finding a fruit-fly larva— just one hit can ruin the day, if not the entire season. “Nobody wants a maggot in their…
Researchers turn to nature for help. By Engela Duvenage. Does nature provide its own little helpers to support the South African agricultural sector in controlling its fruit fly problem? Indeed, said Dr Pia Addison, upon reflecting on four years of…
What growers need to know about control. By Anna Mouton. False codling moth is — you guessed it — a moth and it belongs to the family Tortricidae. Its relatives include other important agricultural pests such as codling moth, Oriental…
How Oriental fruit flies differ from Mediterranean fruit flies. By Grethe Bestbier. The Mediterranean fruit fly has long been established across South Africa and now a new kid on the block has appeared: the Oriental fruit fly. While both Mediterranean…
Shining light on a nocturnal pest. By Anna Mouton. Weevils — kalanders in Afrikaans — are a group of vegetarian beetles. There are nearly 100 000 species of weevils. Most live blameless lives but a few troublemakers cause problems by damaging…
Research in biological control is shaping the next agricultural revolution. By Anna Mouton. The so-called green revolution of the sixties gave the world mind-boggling advances in agriculture. Crop production boomed thanks to the development of new varieties and cultivation methods…
The tiny grain pest catching a ride on our fruit. By Grethe Bestbier. The grain chinch-bug — Macchiademus diplopterus — is a grain pest that feeds on cereals and grasses. This tiny critter has made a nuisance of itself by…