In Belgium alone there are several different species of aphids which attack a wide range of plants including rose bushes, ornamental trees, cereal crop fields, orchards and garden produce. The ladybird is one of their main predators. Why not, therefore, use the destructive power of the Asian ladybird beetle (Harmonia axyridis), which has proliferated in Europe, to defeat these tiny pests? In this area, integrated pest management has taken a giant leap forward. Published recently in the scientific literature, the identification of the insect’s sex pheromone by the Functional and Evolutionary Entomology Laboratory of Gembloux Agro-Bio Tech has constituted a major breakthrough in understanding this ladybird species that is so different from others. However, there is a great deal more work involved in getting from the laboratory phase to the field safely and efficiently. This is the reason why, despite the traditional hazards associated with applied research, work has continued apace at the Gembloux Agro-Bio-tech site.

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(1) The scent of love: how important are semiochemicals in the sexual behavior of lady beetles?, Journal of Pest Science, jui 2016.