Redesign af Insektfælde til Biologisk Skadedyrsbekæmpelse

Summary

This report describes the working processes and results of the bachelor project “Redesign of insect trap for biological pest control”. The project is based on research on pheromones and the project SoftPest Multitrap. Copenhagen Uni-versity’s Science and Life Sciences, more specifically Department of Plant andEnvironmental Sciences has researched and developed the pheromones for mass trapping of the Strawberry Blossom Weevil (Anthonomus Rubi) and the European Tarnished Plant Bug (Lygus Rugulipennis).
The user processes associated with the insect trap were analysed through fieldstudies and a participatory design process. The analysis resulted in a design brief and a product specification.The SoftPest Multitrap proved to be difficult toimplement in the various strawberry production methods, uncompetitive with the existing insecticides on the market. Ineffective through the use processes; assem-bly, setting up and maintenance.
The developed concept supports compact distribution, easy assembly and setting up in the various strawberry productions regardless of wind, weather and soil con-ditions. The strawberry producers can remain indifferent to the trap through the pest season and traps are effectively collected, easily cleaned and stored for next year.
An estimated calculation of production costs for respectively prototype- and mass production of the trap was prepared. In continuation of the estimated cost of production, the trap’s competitiveness relative to pesticides was studied through various scenarios. The conclusion is that the trap is competitive if the use of pesticides results in a subsequent outbreak of spider mites. A CAD process enabled the development of a functional prototype for later testing in a strawberry production.