חדשנות ישראלית

Biological Pest Control: Next-Generation Agriculture

Product: Biological and Ecological Pest Control Solutions for Agriculture
Company: BioBee
Start of Development: 1983

As early as 1983, members of Kibbutz Sde Eliyahu in Emek HaMa’ayanot had a clear vision: finding a bridge between the various vegetation protection needs for its intensive agriculture, and satisfying the desire to better the environment from an
ecological standpoint. To this end, they founded BioBee. Since its inception, BioBee has worked at biological pest control in agriculture, and has strived for innovation and for the advanced development of a variety of technologies in the field.
The company set its sights on discovering biological solutions for pest control while maintaining the principle of natural, effective treatment, minimizing the need for chemical intervention. This standard coincides with an increasing global awareness of the risks involved in using chemical pesticides in growing crops.
BioBee provides farmers with technology that meets these aims, allowing them to market natural produce free of chemical residue.
Looking towards the future and to the challenges it presents, BioBee is developing exclusive solutions for evolving situations and needs, such as a projected worldwide shortage of protein, reducing organic waste due to the use of insects, and bolstering the field of natural, healthy agriculture.
BioBee currently specializes in the mass cultivation of beneficial insects and acari that allow many farmers to evolve from chemical pest management to integrated pest management by raising wild bees for pollination, and by raising the Mediterranean Fruit Fly, in a method that enables a significant reduction in the use of toxins sprayed from the air.
In addition, BioBee established Bio-Fly, ‘green’ products including viral pesticides, fungi and bacteria, and plant oils and extracts, among other products. The company’s most recent development was the establishment of a factory for producing fats and proteins out of the larvae of Black Soldier Flies as an alternative to fats and proteins for animal feed factories.
Over the years, BioBee has evolved from a small kibbutz business with impassioned employees to a far-reaching company that has provided the professional infrastructure to institute biological pest control in Israel. BioBee is currently co-managed by Kibbutz Sde Eliyahu and the Tom Bar company. It has six subsidiaries in various countries and 350 employees in Israel and worldwide.