Spiders in, leafroller out – a success in biocontrol (BIOSECURITY)

New Zealand's main fruit industries depend upon producing high-quality, residue-free crops for export with a very low incidence of pest damage.

In this episode of Scigest, Blue Plunkett talks to Dr Jim Walker, from the Plant & Food Research Ecological Pest Management team, about how the Light Brown Apple Moth, a major leafroller pest threatening our horticultural industry, was successfully controlled using natural enemies (parasitoids) as a biocontrol solution. By reducing the need for spraying, the return of spiders, cobwebs and earwigs to our orchards is a good sign of flourishing biodiversity.