Increased efficiency of micro BCAs against Botrytis through entomovectoring in tomatoes and grapes

Description: The potential of the entomovectoring of a selection of micro BCAs with use of bumblebees (Bombus terrestris) against grey mould Botrytis cinerea in tomatoes in greenhouses will be tested. A bumblebee-specific dispenser as developed by the UGENT-partner can be used (Mommaerts et al., 2010). This dispenser will be filled with formulated micro BCA. We will use a setup with randomized blind blocks as published before in Mommaerts et al. (2012). A similar setup will be used for micro BCAs in grapes in open field. Here we plan to use hives of honeybees (Apis mellifera) and a specific honeybee-dispenser that can be attached to a commercial honeybee hive and that is available in the market (Smagghe et al., 2012).