According to data from the Netherlands Bureau for Statistics (CBS), the application rate of biological control (live organisms) in greenhouse crops in the Netherlands in 2024 was 94% (based on planting area), remaining largely the same as in 2020. However, the use of certain biological control products has increased. For instance, the application rate of predatory mites and predatory thrips rose from 69% of the total planting area in 2020 to 84% in 2024. Additionally, microbial preparations such as bacteria are used to control pests in more than two-thirds of the greenhouse crop planting areas. The above data are preliminary statistics from CBS.
The survey participants were growers of cucumbers, sweet peppers, tomatoes, strawberries, African daisies, chrysanthemums, roses, potted flowering plants and foliage plants. They were asked about their use of biological control methods. Approximately half of the greenhouse growers grew one of these crops, and these crops together accounted for 70% of the total greenhouse area in the Netherlands (10,000 hectares).
Apart from predatory mites and predatory thrips, other biological control species such as parasitic wasps (sphecodes), gall midges, predatory insects, flies and beetles also accounted for a higher proportion of the total planting area than in 2020. Nematodes were the least used biological control species in greenhouses, with an application proportion of only 12% of the planting area.
For most greenhouse crops, biological control products are used to control pests or mites on over 95% of the planting area. For instance, in cucumber and tomato cultivation, biological control products had almost covered the entire planting area by 2020. The application ratio of potted flowering plants and foliage plants is relatively low, but still higher than 75%.
The area of application for predatory mites and predatory thrips increased the most in the crop of tomato: it rose from 18% in 2020 to 66% in 2024. The use of wasps and gall midges saw particularly significant growth in potted flowering plants, increasing from 29% in 2020 to 45% in 2024; it also rose significantly in chrysanthemum cultivation, from 68% to 82%. The application of predatory insects, predatory beetles, midges and aphid-eating flies in chrysanthemum cultivation saw the largest increase, rising from 10% to 44%.
Apart from beneficial insects, microbial preparations (such as bacteria, fungi and viruses) are also sustainable alternatives to chemical pesticides. These preparations are used to control pests in 67% of greenhouse cultivation areas. They are most widely used in chrysanthemum cultivation, covering 90% of the planting area, and are used the least in cucumber cultivation (50%).
A study on the usage of microbial preparations for crops revealed that, apart from greenhouse farming, the use of microbial preparations for pest control was relatively rare. It was least applied in open-field farming. In apple, pear and urban landscape trees (such as chestnut trees, birch trees and Japanese cherry trees) and tree seedling propagation, the proportion of such preparations used accounted for 10% to 25% of the total planting area.
Post time: Jun-23-2026
