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QPlant protectionHow can I attract pollinators and beneficial insects without making fieldwork harder?
Beneficial species work for free. Ladybirds, lacewings, beetles and parasitic wasps feed on aphids, mites and other pests, and birds and bats stay in the area if they have somewhere to nest. Pollinators increase yields of oilseed rape, sunflower and legumes. You do not need to take productive land out of use — use the places that are not cultivated anyway.
| Measure | How to apply it without disrupting work | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Flower strips | Sow flowering plants along field edges or in corners where machinery turns with difficulty | Attract beneficial insects and pollinators |
| Hedgerows, trees, field margins | Keep existing ones and plant new ones along plot boundaries | Shelter for birds, bats and natural enemies of pests |
| Pesticides only when needed | When the economic threshold is reached, with selective products, early morning or late evening; in flowering crops — outside the hours when bees fly | Protect beneficial insects |
| More crops and varieties | Rotation with legumes; 2–3 varieties of one crop | Diversity in the field and lower disease pressure |
| Biological control | Releasing ladybirds, lacewings or parasitic wasps against aphids | Fewer insecticides |
What the Common Agricultural Policy says: keeping existing hedgerows, trees and field margins is mandatory, and cutting them during the bird breeding season is prohibited. Pollinator strips, non-productive areas and new landscape features are voluntary and can be supported through eco-schemes. Check the current conditions and rates in the guidance of the State Fund "Agriculture" (section A).
Material: Training Module 2, section 5 "Biodiversity and habitat management"; Brochure 2; Brochure 1, sections 3, 6 and 16.