20 March 2023
Groups of spiders could be used as an environmentally-friendly way to protect crops against agricultural pests. That's according to new research, led by the University of Portsmouth, which suggests that web-building groups of spiders can eat a devastating pest moth of commercially important crops like tomatoes and potatoes worldwide.
The tomato leafminer moth, Tuta absoluta, has developed resistance to chemical insecticides, which cause human and environmental damage, so different approaches, like using natural predators such as spiders, are needed to combat infestations.