Biological plant protection
Why biological plant protection?
Biological plant protection products control pests in in a natural way based on bacteria, fungi or nematodes. This is completely harmless to humans, plants and pets, and unlike chemical substances, our products have a targeted effect on the pests to be controlled. The biological effect also prevents the development of resistance, which means that our plant protection products remain effective in the long term.
Safe
Lasting effect
eco-friendly
Small creatures - large impact
The heart of our technology, the nematode, can be as small as 0.5 millimeters. Nematodes are one of the most diverse species on earth. They are at home in any conceivable habitat. The name nematode comes from the Greek "nema" ("thread"). Nematodes feed on plants, bacteria, fungi, and the larvae of insects. This is where we come in. The species of nematodes we breed target only specific insect larvae. At the same time, they are completely harmless to animals, plants, and people.
HOW CAN WE HELP YOU?
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Nematodes (nema: Greek = thread) are tiny, thread-like soil organisms approx. 0.5 mm long. In principle, besides insects they are one of the Earth's most species-rich multicellular organisms. They can be found in all conceivable habitats from the bottom of the sea to the peaks of the Himalayas – and even in insect larvae.
Among other nutrient sources, nematodes feed on plants, bacteria, fungi, their spores and even on other nematodes. Our nematodes are the natural enemy of insect larvae. Naturally highly specialised, they are exclusively able to use these larvae to feed on and reproduce.
Nematodes harbour symbiotic bacteria in their gut that are released once the nematode has successfully invaded an insect's body. As the insect's immune system eliminates contaminating organisms that enter with the nematodes, the symbiotic bacteria are released in a non-competing environment. They overcome the insect's immune system, supported in part by the nematode's excretions. In most insects, the nematode is not recognised as foreign. In others, the immune response is overwhelmed by the number of nematodes and the proliferation of bacteria. The insect dies within a few days of infection and the nematodes, which feed on the bacteria, multiply over one or more generations. Depending on the size of the host, thousands to hundreds of thousands of infective juveniles leave the carcass 1-3 weeks after infection.
The nematodes sold by us only infect insects in the soil and as such are harmless to people and warm-blooded animals. The same also applies to plants; however, you should keep all plant protection agents away from children.
There is an optimal time of year for each type of treatment using nematodes as the pests are then in a vulnerable development phase (grubs, larvae, pupa). Treatment would be ineffective outside these times and therefore a waste of time and money.