Biological pest control of insect pests that threaten tree health - BIPESCO

Led by Professor Tariq Butt, Swansea University

A number of insects pose a threat to UK trees and plant biosecurity. The Tree Health and Plant Biosecurity Expert Taskforce set up by government recently recommended that the UK develops and implements ways to predict, monitor and control the spread of pests.

BIPESCO is an interdisciplinary project that will use botanicals and biocontrol with entomopathogenic fungi (EPF), fungi which kill or seriously disable insects, to kill and control insect pests that pose a threat to UK trees. BIPESCO will develop these natural alternatives to conventional chemical pesticides, of which usage is being severely restricted.

The aim of BIPESCO is to identify the strains of EPF that are most pathogenic to current and emergent pest species to utilise as efficient control, alongside botanicals that attract or repel target pests. The researchers will use botanicals to concentrate the pests and expose them to EPF and other agents in "lure and kill" and "stress and kill" strategies, increasing knowledge of the underlying mechanisms involved in control. BIPESCO’s outputs will offer environmentally friendly, sustainable methods of pest control, benefitting many sectors directly and indirectly.

This project is in partnership with Fera and Forest Research (project participants).