The problem

Pest insects cause damage amounting to billions of Swedish kronor every year. Large amounts of crops, fruit, stored food and seed products in mills and bakeries as well as food in households are lost. Insects also represent a serious threat to museum collections of considerable cultural and historical value, where the damage caused is impossible to estimate. Costs in Sweden as a result of pine weevils attacking coniferous tree seedlings and adult trees amount to several hundreds of millions of kronor every year. The majority of chemical pesticides have serious environmental and health effects. In addition, many of the insects develop resistance to them.

How can the programme contribute to a solution of the problem?

Most insects live in a world of scent and taste, in which such stimuli completely dictate their behaviour. This is the basis of the programme and the aim of the research is to identify the chemical nature of these stimuli and to utilise this knowledge to prevent insects from finding food, their partners or the place where they have laid their eggs. Methods based on the use of the insects' sexual pheromones (scent mixtures that attract males) are proving successful. Another discovery is that plants give off substances to attract insects, which can also be used to control them. Pesticidal techniques are being developed for codling moths (globally one of the ten most significant insect pests), storage pests (very significant globally), aphids (the most significant pest in western Europe including Sweden) and the pine weevil (the most significant pest in Swedish forests).

Who will benefit from the results?

Agriculture and the food industry. Forestry and the forest industry. The horticultural industry. Central, regional and local authorities responsible for these industries. Environmental authorities.

Time period and funding

Programme period: 1996 – 2005.
Funding: The Mistra-support amounts totally 68 million SEK.