Koppert Foundation

The Black vine weevil is a pest in many ornamental crops as well as in strawberries and other fruit crops. They are about 7 – 10 mm long, brownish black and have dull yellow spots on their back. The larvae of this beetle are difficult to control chemically.

There are many leaf miner species affecting various crops. Problems with leaf miner have increased as a result of the use of pesticides: natural enemies are killed, allowing leaf miner populations to erupt into serious numbers.

Whiteflies form a major threat for many vegetable and ornamental crops. The adults can be recognized by their waxy wings. Whiteflies have well developed needle-like mouthparts. They extract sap from the underside of plant leaves and secrete honeydew.

Mealybugs appear frequently in ornamental and vegetable crops. Populations can reach a high density and so are a serious threat for growers. They cause damage by sucking plant sap. The overall effect is reduced photosynthesis and therefore decreasing yield.

Aphids inflict serious damage to a variety of crops. They are notorious virus vectors and have an enormous reproductive capacity. There are lots of different coloured species and they occur in all kinds of crops.

The predatory mite Phytoseiulus persimilis is an effective natural enemy of spider mite. Koppert was the first company that introduced this natural enemy.

Spider mite infestations affect many crops throughout the world. With their great reproductive capacity they can destroy plants rapidly. Adult spider mites can be red, orange, yellow, green or brown in colour. Both males and females usually have two large black spots.