Farmers are being encouraged to use sticky traps to reduce the use of pesticides to manage pests.
Real Integrated Pest Management (Real IPM) agronomist Juliah Naitore said some farmers have been using more pesticides than the recommended quantity, which is not safe for them and the consumers.
She spoke during a farmer’s field day on upscaling and adopting iron and zinc-rich beans by farmers in Naromoru, Nyeri county.
The field day was organised by the Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organisation in partnership with the Food, Agriculture and Natural Resources Policy Analysis Network.
Naitore said sticky traps have glue where the flies get stuck.
“We have a yellow one which targets the white flies. The yellow colour attracts the white flies,” she said.
Naitore said they also have a blue sticky trap for onion farmers who have a challenge with thrips.
“The blue colour attracts thrips. This helps in managing the pest without having to use much pesticides,” she said.
Naitore said tomato farmers are using a lot of chemicals to control tuta absoluta (tomato leafminer). She said this is a new pest that farmers did not know much about in the past, but they are now aware of it.
According to the Ministry of Agriculture, tuta absoluta is a serious threat to tomato production as it destroys plants and fruits.
“We have traps that are able to attract tuta absoluta. One thing that we are using in the traps is a pheromone that attracts only males. By doing so, we clear the males in the environment and the females are not able to lay the eggs and fertilise them. This cuts down the population,” Naitore said.
She said sticky traps are pocket-friendly and are available in any agrovet. They cost between Sh650 and Sh700 and can cover a quarter acre of land.
“The pack has 20 pieces and it also comes with strings which farmers will use in the farm. Remove the trap, use a string to tie the trap to a small stick and hang it 15 centimetres above the crop where the insect is able to see the colour. The yellow or blue colours will attract the insects to the glue stick in your onion or bean farm,” Naitore said.
She said using the technology, one is able to properly manage the pests and this will reduce the use of chemicals to spray them.
“Another advantage of using the sticky trap is that farmers can take the already used trap to the nearest agrovet and get advice on the appropriate chemical to use. This way, a farmer is sure of the pesticides they are using in their farms and they will also be advised on the amount to use to avoid misuse,” Naitore said.
Edited by A.N
