Why SIT?

Current pest control methods are based on chemical treatments. Chemical pest control poses numerous problems, including: pesticides are not selective,therefore they damage populations of beneficial insects in the agricultural environment; pesticide residue remains on the agricultural produce and in the environment. 

The SIT method is an efficient and proven non-chemical alternative for pest control, which results in reduction and even discontinuation of insecticide use. SIT is a species-specific method, which means that it causes damage only to targeted pests, and does not damage beneficial insects (such as natural enemies and pollinators), thus preserving the biological balance in the agricultural environment. 

In recent years, the number of chemicals approved for pest control is continually decreasing. In addition, increasing pressure from supermarkets and import countries with control measures like EUREPGAP, that oblige producers to use non-chemical pest control methods, have driven the world-wide trend of demand for alternatives to chemical pest control.

One of the leading approaches in modern agriculture is IPM - Integrated Pest Management. This method uses a combination of biological, physical, chemical and cultural tools in order to control pest damage, while maintaining economic profitability and minimal danger to health and the environment. The low level environmental impact and species-specific character of SIT  have turned it into a method that fully integrates into IPM programs.   

SIT Benefits

• Pesticide-free agricultural produce
• Increased competitive advantage of agricultural produce in advanced markets
• Preserving the biological balance in agricultural environments
• Compatibility with attitudes regarding the use of environmentally friendly pest control
• Full integration into Integrated Pest Management programs (IPM)
• SIT enables pro-active, year-round protection against pests, as opposed to chemical control that is used only after a pest eruption
• SIT encourages growers to use advanced agro-technical methods, and thus improve their agricultural output