Using Pollinators to Deliver Biological Control Agents Against Crop Pests

Kevan, PG; Al-mazra’awi, Mohammad S.; Sutton, J.C.; Tam, L.; Boland, G. J.; Broadbent, Bruce; Thomson, S. V.; Brewer, GJ

doi:10.1520/stp11120s

Cited by 21 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 12 publications

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“…Honey bees and bumblebees have been used to transfer inoculum of fungi, bacteria and viruses from the hive to flowers (Kevan et al, 2003). Recently, the potential use of a solitary bee, Osmia cornuta, has also been investigated (Maccagnani et al, 2006).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Honey bee dispersal of the biocontrol agent Trichoderma harzianum T39: effectiveness in suppressing Botrytis cinerea on strawberry under field conditions

et al. 2006

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Botrytis cinerea, which causes grey mould, is a major pathogen of many crops. On strawberry, isolates of Trichoderma spp. can effectively control B. cinerea, but frequent application is necessary. Bees can be used to disseminate biological control agents to the target crop. We tested the ability of honey bees to disseminate Trichoderma harzianum T39 to control B. cinerea in strawberry in the field during the winter in Israel over two consecutive seasons. We used the recently developed 'Triwaks' dispenser for loading the bees with the T. harzianum inoculum. During both years, grey mould developed in late January in untreated control plots; at low to medium disease levels it was partially controlled by fungicide treatment, and was best controlled in bee-visited plots. At high disease levels neither chemical nor biological control was effective. To assess the spatial distribution of inoculum by bees, we sampled flowers up to 200 m from the hives and found effective levels of T. harzianum even at 200 m. The approach used in this study provides an effective control of grey mould in strawberry in conditions of low to medium grey mould incidence.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Honey bee dispersal of the biocontrol agent Trichoderma harzianum T39: effectiveness in suppressing Botrytis cinerea on strawberry under field conditions

et al. 2006

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“…The ability of bees to vector microbes has been harnessed for biological control purposes, by using honey bees and bumblebees to transfer inoculum of fungi, bacteria and viruses from the hive to flowers (Kevan et al ., 2003). In practice, a dispenser (or insert) is attached to the hive and loaded with a powder formulation of the desired agent.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Honey bee dispersal of biocontrol agents: An evaluation of dispensing devices

Bilu

Dag

Elad

et al. 2004

Biocontrol Science and Technology

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Many reports have been published lately on the use of honey bees to disseminate biocontrol agents to flowers, using various kinds of inoculum dispensers. This technique is mainly used to deliver agents for controlling fire blight and gray mold. The present study evaluated the relative efficiency of a newly developed 'Triwaks' dispenser with three other dispenser types, 'Peng', 'Tub', and 'Harwood', with respect to effects of the dispensers on bee activity, and effectiveness for contaminating bees with high levels of inoculum for a long period of time after its application. We found differences in these parameters of performance between dispenser types, with the Triwaks dispenser having the overall best performance. This dispenser could prove to be an effective tool for biocontrol. The evaluation methods that we present could be used for evaluating other dispenser types.

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“…This technique is especially useful for many pollination-dependent crops. Farm bees, honeybees, and bumblebees are used to transfer fungal, bacterial, and viral inoculum from hives to flowers (Kevan et al, 2003).…”

Section: The Importance Of Pollinatorsmentioning

confidence: 99%