500 Israeli Insects Head to Russia to Improve Agriculture

Eric Thouvenin , industrial director, shows a box with Macrolophus pygmaeus inside used ag
PHILIPPE DESMAZES/AFP/Getty

The Jerusalem Post reports: Some 500 million little critters from Israel’s Bio-bee company will head to Russia, it was announced on Sunday.

Aiming to cut dependence on foreign agriculture imports as much as possible, Russia has been investing heavily in providing farmers with financial incentives for building greenhouses as well as using chemical-free pest prevention methods.

The country has banned the import of many European Union fruits, vegetables and even flowers, ever since violent conflict broke out between Russia and Ukraine, garnering sanctions from the EU.

Bio-bee stepped in when the Russian government called with its $1 million order.

This particular order of Bio-bee insects from Kibbutz Sde Eliyahu, near Beit She’an, included several types of predatory mites. Among them is the Phytoseiulus persimilis mite and the Amblyseius swirskii mite, which are intended to be a “natural pesticide” for crops of tomatoes, cucumbers and roses.

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