Each week 60,000 tiny wasps and mites set out on an 8,000-mile journey from Syngenta Bioline in the UK to the Falkland Islands. These beneficial bugs are helping a grower in Port Stanley supply vegetables to cruise ships and scientific bases in the barren wastes of Antarctica.
These beneficial insects, bred at our Syngenta Bioline facility near Clacton, help combat the pests which attack crops in salad growing greenhouses in Port Stanley. The greenhouses play a vital role in supplying food for the troops at the British garrison on the island as well as holidaymakers on visiting cruise ships and researchers at the scientific bases in Antarctica.
Although these beneficial insects and mites are probably the most travelled creatures in the world, this is just one example of where Syngenta Bioline is providing insects for the control of pests as part of biological control systems.
Insects are bred in glasshouses and climate rooms and once ready the aim is to get the live insects to growers within hours or a few days to ensure they are fresh and of the highest quality and ready to perform their vital job.
Currently, 27 different beneficial species are shipped from our Bioline site at Clacton-on-Sea to growers across Europe, the Americas, the Middle East and Japan. Shipments include ladybirds for Saudia Arabia, parasitic wasps destined for Spain and bumble-bees which will ultimately help pollinate British tomato plants.
As part of our commitment to sustainable agriculture, our site at Clacton plays an important role in this ever-growing area of biocontrol.
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