Whiteflies - Africa’s main cassava pest causes damage to crops.
Maurice/Flickr
Crop losses in African countries due to insect pests are estimated at 49%. However, with some species losses can climb up to 100%.
A scourge of kitchens everywhere, Drosophila melanogaster — the common fruit fly — stares down the electron microscope that captured its image.
(Shutterstock)
How do you rid your kitchen of pesky
fruit flies? A scientist who researches them explains.
In many parts of Africa rodents often cause crop losses.
Shutterstock
Agricultural pests are one of the key factors affecting small holder farmer production. Focus is normally put on invertebrate pests, but rodents can do severe damage to crops as well.
Jacek Wojnarowski / shutterstock
Super-fertile slugs from the continent have bred with their cousins in the UK.
When the chips are down.
Shutterstock
What’s the answer? Fight or flight?
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Fall armyworms have a number of characteristics that make them particularly hard to control. They are strong fliers, can breed at a high rate and also develop quick resistance to pesticides.
The Fall Armyworm has a devastating impact because it eats the reproductive parts of the plant as well as its leaves.
Shutterstock
A combination of armyworms native to Africa and those normally found in the Americas are ravaging crops in sub-Saharan Africa.
Zastolskiy Victor / shutterstock
Bigger gardens and more greenery encourages insect diversity, some of which finds its way indoors.
Federico Gambarini / EPA
The bizarre spectacle was the result of a coming together of several exceptional circumstances.
The silverlead whitefly is a major agricultural pest.
CSIRO
Invasive species and diseases pose a major threat to agriculture – particularly in the countries that can least afford it.
Mark Mallott / Rothamsted Research
A ‘Biblical swarm’ of ‘super-moths’ from continental Europe is heading to the UK.
The common grey silverfish, Ctenolepisma longicaudata, in Sydney.
Graeme Smith
Silverfish have disappeared from our homes as book-bindings - their favourite food - have improved.
The American Cockroach, one of the most common species found in your home.
Cockroach image from www.shutterstock.com
There are over 5,000 species of cockroach, but fortunately only a few have chosen to live with us.
Alan Gange
Fungi that live inside plants can fight off nasty insect pests.
Pesticides have harmful effects on those using them.
Richard Haig
Understanding the hazards and risks of pesticides is vital for people using them on crops.
Tens of millions of smallholder farmers across sub-Saharan Africa have a stake in improving the health of the soil their cattle graze on.
Reuters/Goran Tomasevic
Africa’s soil crisis calls for quick and creative action. This includes deepening farmers’ knowledge about soil microbes.
Locust sits on a wheat stalk.
Eduard Korniyenko/Reuters
Insects have been in a feature in agriculture since the end of the 19th century. Using a combination of new and old control methods is the best way to deal with our food competitors.
Teeming with insect life?
Oregon Department of Agriculture
Continued use of pesticides will lower diversity of beneficial insects, costing corn farmers more money over time.
Perfect swarm.
Juan Medina/EPA
Genetic techniques are helping scientists work out how to stop invasive species before they rack up huge environmental and financial costs.
Honeybees pollinate a third of Australia’s food crops. Losing them due varroa might would cost the economy billions of dollars.
David McClenaghan
A nationwide outbreak of foot and mouth disease; an invasion of a devastating wheat disease; our honeybees completely wiped out. These are just three possible disastrous scenarios facing Australia; they’re…