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