33 million flies are scattered weekly in the Gaza vicinity fight pests

33 million flies are scattered weekly from airplanes on orchards and agriculture land in the Gaza vicinity as part of a unique project to fight pests. The dispersion planes take off with millions of flies at the height of their sexual arousal in order to push the fruit flies in a natural way without spraying the Mediterranean fruit fly. Male flies are associated with the harmful females in the field that favor them over other males, but since they are not fertile, the creation of a next generation is prevented.

 The project is being carried out by Bio-Bee from Kibbutz Sde Eliyahu for the Ministry of Agriculture. As part of the growing process of flies with sterilized embryos in a radioactive facility. When they are scattered in the air exposed to ambient temperature, they come to life and unite with the females.
The dispersal of flies spreads over an area of ​​35,000 dunams of orchards and other crops until close to the border of the Gaza Strip. According to the estimate, the project saves the use of 33,000 liters of chemical pesticides that the farmers had to use to carry out the pest control artificially, among others near settlements and people.

The sterile flies are part of a series of beneficial insects that cultivate bio-bi and help farmers including pollinating bees and predatory insects and parasites that kill pests.