Valle de Banderas, Nayarit - Beneficial insects are being introduced to the municipality of Bahía de Banderas, Nayarit in an effort to gradually reduce the indiscriminate use of agrochemicals and insecticides used in this rich agricultural region, where corn, beans, chiles mangoes, chirimoyos, capomos and palms are grown.

"The indiscriminate use of insecticides and pesticides has resulted in the proliferation of pests in crops such as corn, because the chemicals deter the pests' natural predators," said the Director of Rural Development, Gonzalo Calderon. "As a result, crops are more expensive because farmers have to invest large sums of money on insecticides."

The Rural Development Director continued, "The Mayor of Bahía de Banderas, Rafael Cervantes, is a farmer who's aware of these problems, so he encouraged us to go to Autlán de la Grana, Jalisco and learn how they are fighting pests through the use of beneficial insects."

"After visiting the Center for Reproduction of Organisms Beneficial to Agriculture in Autlán de la Grana with science teacher José Luis Méndez, with the intention of learning how to do what they're doing in that area (controlling pests through biological means) here in Bahía de Banderas, we are committed to encouraging local corn growers to use these techniques instead of buying (and using) insecticides," he explained.

"There are many beneficial insects for corn and vegetables. In the case of corn, there's an insect that eats the eggs the whitefly lays in the cornfield and eats the eggs of the fall army worms. Using insecticide to combat pests is a big problem, because it is not only expensive, but also reduces the crop yield. Using beneficial insects is simpler and greener and we intend to implement them here," he elaborated.

"In Autlán they also employ organic (herbal) insecticides, as they are less expensive and do not pollute like agrochemicals, so the crops are healthier and produce increased yields. The overuse of insecticides ends up polluting the soil, groundwater, drains, rivers and finally the sea, besides food can be contaminated as it does not necessarily degrade. It is best used for agriculture ecological environments and that is what we will stress to the corn growers of Bahía," Calderon concluded.