East Anglian farms are part of a new research project to monitor beetle pests which can devastate oilseed rape crops.

The destructive feeding of the cabbage stem flea beetle (CSFB) and its larvae on emerging  plants is the main reason for a dramatic decline in the UK's oilseed rape area during the last decade.

It has been an increasing problem for growers ever since neonicotinoid pesticides - previously used to control the pest - were banned by the EU due to fears over their impact on bees.

The AHDB (Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board) has contracted NIAB (National Institute Of Agricultural Botany) to lead the new research.

It will monitor the migration of the adult insects from August to October and the "larval invasion" from September to October, focusing on areas where the pest is most problematic.

At seven "core monitoring sites", including one in north Suffolk, yellow water traps will be used to monitor the activity of adult beetles and flying insects.

Data will also be collected from new Bayer "MagicTraps", which photograph captured beetles and use image analysis to identify and count them, transmitting the information remotely.

This will allow results to be compared with traditional traps, which have to be personally monitored, with beetles counted by hand.

These MagicTraps will also be tested at other sites within the AHDB’s Farm Excellence Network, including the Strategic Cereal Farm East at Morley Farms, near Wymondham.

Monitoring data will be updated regularly on the AHDB website during the 2024-25 growing season.

At the end of the project, a full dataset will be made available to farmers, including adult CSFB numbers in each trap, larval scar assessments, weather data, location details and agronomic information such as harvest and seed drilling dates, as well as the pest control and cultivation methods used.

Sacha White, AHDB lead crop protection scientist, said: "We believe that this information will be of use to growers in selecting integrated pest management interventions, thereby helping reduce crop losses.

"The data will also be useful in future work looking to develop risk prediction models."