Now, I am told, they respond with bugs. If the sugarcane borer shows up, they release swarms of a fly called Lixophaga that parasitizes the borer. To control destructive caterpillars, they release Trichogramma, a tiny wasp that feeds on caterpillar eggs. These biological weapons are produced at 218 centers located at coops and state farms. The centers are small, high-tech factories, which breed natural enemies of crop pests.
Workers there are educated sons and daughters of local farmers.
Cuba's scientists are discovering new biocontrols. They are isolating nematodes that kill harmful bugs and soil microbes that counteract plant diseases. They learned from farmers how to use a predatory ant to control sweet potato weevil. They are multiplying virus-free seedlings through tissue culture and testing crop rotations to control weeds. Local farmers told them that when weeds get out of hand, plant sweet potato, which grows so densely it shades out everything else.