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In nature, insects use organic compounds called pheromones to communicate with each other, sending signals to help them attract a mate, send alarm signals or otherwise affect behaviour.
Our focus is on developing eco-friendly pest-management solutions for the monitoring and control of insects that cause damage to commercial crops, stored food such as grains, and pests found in the home and garden.
Insect Science has spent over two decades researching insects and their behaviour in order to develop innovative products that imitate natural processes. We are a leader in the development and manufacture of semiochemical* based products – an important building block of sustainable responsible pest management (RPM) strategies that form part of a broader integrated pest management (IPM) strategy.
Established in the year 2000, Insect Science is located in the sub-tropical region of Tzaneen, South Africa. With the help of our targeted pest-management solutions, farmers and home owners can produce environmentally safe crops and plants with zero harmful residues.
Insect Science is IS0 9001: 2015 certified.
*Semiochemicals are chemicals emitted by plants, animals and other organisms, which carry information (like sending a message) to similar plants or animals and cause changes in their behaviour.
We are the only private company in South Africa with the in-depth knowledge and capability to identify and synthesise semiochemicals and pheromone compounds specifically suited to the management of local pests in the African climate, without the use of non-selective pesticides.
Our world-class team of researchers spend years studying each insect and understanding how, when and why they are attracted to different crops and plants. Our state-of-the-art laboratory is then used to synthesise these compounds. The final product mimics the behaviour of specific insects in order to either attract, repel or disrupt their behaviour through the use of very specific release mechanisms.
Our extensive range of pest management tools and products includes quality insect traps and other insect control methods that significantly reduce the need for pesticides. We use five major approaches: monitoring, attract and kill, mating disruption, male annihilation and mass trapping.
Our products use nature’s own methods to efficiently target specific pests and manage insect populations, leaving no chemical residues and without harming the environment.
It takes years of work to complete the extensive background research required to identify, synthesise, develop and test products in field. In this way, we determine the exact pheromone complex released by the insect, in what ratios and at what release rate. We also test our release devices over all climatic zones and affected crops, in all seasons.
At Insect Science, we employ a highly qualified team of entomologists, researchers and other experts in their field who are all passionate about the science of entomology.
Driven by a high-performance culture of teamwork and inclusiveness, every person at Insect Science is motivated to achieve excellence. Our focus is on employing from within, providing the necessary training and development to grow our people from the ground up. This approach has resulted in an experienced team of loyal people with extensive proprietary knowledge that is used for the benefit of our clients.
Funding from Insect Science has been made available to support doctoral candidates specialising in the field of Applied Entomology. The scholarship supports full-time students at South African tertiary institutions and aims to help increase the number and quality of South African postgraduate students specialising in Applied Entomology at doctoral level in South Africa. The scholarship may be extended for additional years subject to project progress and results.
For more information, contact us on hr@insectscience.co.za
We like to employ people and develop them from within. However, as a growing business, occasionally new opportunities come available for specialised positions at Insect Science. If you think you might have something to offer and would like us to keep your CV on hand, please send it to hr@insectscience.co.za
