Delphy
- Beatrix Büte
- 1 day ago
- 2 min read
Outside project
At Delphy, research and innovation go hand in hand. The company continuously explores new ways to make crop protection more efficient and sustainable. One of its latest challenges is understanding and tackling grubs, the larvae of beetles such as the cockchafer (Melolontha melolontha), June beetle (Amphimallon solstitiale), and rose chafer (Cetonia aurata). These species can cause severe root damage in nursery crops, grasslands, and other open-field systems.
“Grubs can live underground for several years and feed on plant roots. This makes them hard to detect and even harder to control,” explains researcher Jeroen van der Meij from Delphy.
From field variability to controlled research
While field trials have been conducted in the past, the results often varied too much to draw reliable conclusions. That is why Delphy decided to take a different approach. Over the past two years, the team has established a controlled breeding system for cockchafers and grubs at the Research Nursery for Tree Cultivation and Perennial Horticulture.
This setup allows for precise, repeatable research into pest biology and control methods, from early development to flight activity. “We can now test new solutions under stable conditions,” says Van der Meij. “This helps us support growers and practitioners with data-backed insights against a major problem.”
Monitoring beetle flights with PATS-C
To better understand adult beetle behavior, Delphy partnered with PATS to test automated monitoring of flying cockchafers (Melolontha melolontha). Using the PATS-C camera system, the team successfully tracked flight activity over several weeks.
“The system worked very well and gave us clear insight into the flight pattern,” says Jeroen van der Meij.
The online dashboard allowed researchers to visualize and analyze flight data in real time. This combination of controlled breeding and automated monitoring opens up new possibilities for pest research and sustainable crop protection.
Smarter pest management through automation
The successful trial at Delphy’s research nursery shows how automated insect monitoring can advance agricultural innovation. PATS-C improves understanding of pest behavior and supports more targeted, data-driven control strategies.
“PATS also uses micro-drones in greenhouse farming to remove flying pests. In the future, similar automation might work for open-field crops as well,” Van der Meij adds.
By combining Delphy’s research expertise with PATS’s monitoring technology, the project demonstrates how data and biology can work together to tackle persistent pests like grubs and cockchafers effectively and sustainably.
Jeroen van der Meij -Project Manager Research Floriculture
