New production facility for natural enemies against mealybugs

On Sunday, July 30, in a ceremony at Sde Eliyahu in northern Israel, BioBee, active in Integrated Biological Pest Control, inaugurated a new production facility.

At the inauguration ceremony Ran Gan El, BioBee's CEO, explained: "At BioBee, we pride ourselves in providing high-quality products and dedicated field services, which means we constantly search for new solutions and develop new products and protocols to help our customers manage the challenges they face. We are happy to inaugurate these new facilities during BioBee's 40th anniversary. These new facilities will enable a higher production capacity and maintain a large enough stock of high-quality Anagyrus vladimiri and Cryptolaemus montrouzieri to supply the growing demand."

Mealybugs are devastating pests in a large array of crops. They suck sap from the plant's phloem, causing stunting, chlorosis, defoliation, and wilting of the plants. Mealybugs also secrete honeydew which serves as a substrate for black sooty mold. The latter, on top of inflicting aesthetic damage to fruits, seriously disrupts the plant's photosynthesis. Furthermore, mealybugs are capable of transmitting viral diseases in plants of great economic importance.

"Recently, authorities worldwide have banned more and more chemicals that were used for controlling the Mealybug and have become more stringent regarding the maximum residue level (MRL) legally tolerated in or on agricultural commodities or feed. All these changes have made biological control a viable alternative. We believe that this new production facility will allow us to supply the ever-growing demand," said Yali Dagan, BioBee's VP of operations, who spearheaded the project.