pest control

The benefits of agroecology

August 19, 2025 By EarthWise Leave a Comment

Agroecology focuses on sustainably managing agricultural systems by applying ecological principles. The goal is to optimize the interactions between plants, animals, humans, and the environment.

A four-year study by the UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology found that incorporating nature-friendly practices within farming increases biodiversity, pollination by bees, natural pest control, and the numbers of earthworms.

The study compared three agricultural systems: typical intensive agriculture, enhanced ecological farming, and maximized ecological farming. Enhanced ecological farming involves planting wildflower field margins to provide habitat for bees, beetles, and spiders, and sowing overwinter cover crops to capture carbon and retain soil nutrients. Optimized ecological farming adds planting in-field strips of wildflowers to attract beneficial insects and adding organic matter such as farmyard manure to improve soil health.

The ecological systems had increased populations of earthworms and pollinators, as well as natural predators of crop pests.

The study concluded that while there are multiple benefits in terms of biodiversity, soil carbon, and crop yield when ecological farming systems are used, many farmers will be deterred from adopting agroecological farming practices and system because of the reduced profitability. They argue that financial incentives such as subsidies are needed and are well worth it for the long-term sustainability of agriculture.

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Nature-friendly farming boosts biodiversity and yields but may require new subsidies

Photo, posted July 27, 2023, courtesy of Judy Dean via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio

Spiders And Pest Control | Earth Wise

April 5, 2023 By EarthWise Leave a Comment

Climate change facilitates the spread of invasive pest species by expanding their habitable environment ranges. In conventional agriculture, farmers depend on chemical pesticides to control agricultural pests. But 99% of all synthetic chemicals, including pesticides, are made from fossil fuels, and turning petrochemicals into pesticides requires massive amounts of energy. These chemical pesticides also pollute the air and water, and destroy biodiversity by killing many non-target species as well.

According to new research led by scientists from the University of Portsmouth in the U.K., groups of spiders could be used as an environmentally-friendly way to protect crops against agricultural pests. The study, which was recently published in the journal Insects, suggests that web-building groups of spiders can be used to control populations of the tomato leafminer moth, a devastating pest of commercially important crops like tomatoes and potatoes.

The research team explored the use of tropical tent spiders for this pest control. They are found in colonies around the world, and their range overlaps with regions of moth infestations, including Mediterranean Europe, Africa, Asia, and the Middle East.

In lab settings, different types of prey were introduced to colonies of spiders of varying body sizes. The research team found that the larger spiders built larger webs and caught more prey, including tomato leafminer moths and fruit flies.

Tropical tent spiders could be an effective and climate-friendly way to control flying insect pests. However, more research is needed to ensure that these spiders don’t negatively impact crop pollination by also catching pollinators.

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Using spiders as environmentally-friendly pest control

Photo, posted June 10, 2018, courtesy of Lies Van Rompaey via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio

Birds Bees And Coffee | Earth Wise

May 3, 2022 By EarthWise Leave a Comment

A new study by the University of Vermont in collaboration with researchers from three Latin American countries looked at the effects of birds and bees on coffee crops. They found that coffee beans are bigger and more plentiful when birds and bees team up to protect and pollinate coffee plants.

The real-world study manipulated coffee plants across 30 farms by excluding birds and bees with a combination of large nets and small lace bags. They looked at four scenarios: bird activity alone (pest control), bee activity alone (pollination), no bird and bee activity at all, and a natural environment where birds and bees were free to pollinate and eat insects that otherwise damage coffee plants.

The study looked at fruit set, fruit weight, and fruit uniformity – important factors that determine the quality and price of the coffee crop. The results were that the combined positive effects of birds and bees were greater than their individual effects. Without birds and bees, the average coffee yield on the farms declined nearly 25%. That is important information for the $26 billion coffee industry.

A surprising result of the study is that many birds providing pest control to coffee plants in Costa Rica had migrated thousands of miles from Canada and the U.S.

Previous studies looked at the benefits of natural factors separately and then added them up. But the new study demonstrates that nature is an interacting system with both synergies and trade-offs. Past assessments of individual ecological services may have underestimated the benefits biodiversity provides to agriculture and human wellbeing. Ecosystems services are more valuable together than separately.

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The Secret to Better Coffee? The Birds and the Bees

Photo, posted March 2, 2012, courtesy of Caroline Gluck/Oxfam via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio.

Bring The Wild Back Into Farmlands

December 4, 2018 By EarthWise Leave a Comment

A recent study published in Science looks at the effects of maintaining at least a little bit of the wild on working lands including farmland, rangeland and forests. The study concludes that doing so may be a key to preserving biodiversity in the face of climate change.

California Mountain Lions

November 9, 2015 By WAMC WEB

The mountain lions in the Santa Monica Mountains of California aren’t faring well these days. Three more have been found dead recently, highlighting just how difficult it is for the big cats to survive in an urban park. Although the Santa Monica Mountains recreational area is rugged, it’s hemmed in by several busy freeways and lots of homes. Officials now believe there are just 10 to 15 mountain lions left roaming the park.