Ladybugs—or lady beetles—control aphids, the primary insect pest on cotton farms in the North China Plain
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Each ladybug provides a benefit of USD 0.01 to farmers, even on farms using high levels of insecticides, according to new IFPRI research
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Excessive use of pesticides is reducing profits, raising health costs, and disrupting natural forms of pest control in the fields
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Few farmers understand the economic benefits of ladybugs
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Doubling the ladybug density in cotton fields would provide benefits worth USD 300 million for China’s cotton farmers...
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…by allowing farmers to cut their insecticide use, and letting ladybugs and other natural enemies of cotton pests do the work
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IFPRI’s research on ladybugs makes a strong economic case for more ecological pest-control systems…
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…systems that improve farmers’ incomes and environmental health
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