FRAVEye in sight - A journey of pest and beneficial insect detection at GreenCoop

Installed in February 2025 in a tomato crop, the FRAVEye device at the GreenCoop company in Slovakia represents our first and longest-operating unit in a greenhouse environment. At the time of writing, it has captured over 4224 detection, 2637 of them belonging to the monitored species, detecting both pest and beneficial insects.

FRAVEye unit installed in the tomato compartment at GreenCoop, Slovakia

Since the early start of the season, FRAVEye has been collecting information about the whitefly infestation in the greenhouse, one of the main pests affecting tomato production. From sporadic catches in the early spring to a steady increase during the summer, the population reached its peak in September, with daily counts reaching up to 59 individuals. With a total of 1135 catches during the observed period of time, 446 in September alone, whiteflies were the most prevalent of the monitored species, representing 43,04 % of all detected target insects. Out of all the other detected groups, only sciarid flies were able to approach this number with the overall 788 detections, most of which occurred in March and April, when the daily increase was commonly over 10 individuals. 

GreenCoop's sticky card with marked detections and two strayed butterflies (Pieris rapae), captured 29. 6. 2025

Close-up look at some of the species detected in the greenhouse (A - Macrolophus pygmaeus, B - whiteflies, C - thrips, D - sciarid flies)

Even the smallest pest can have a major impact on cultivated crops, and such is the case with thrips. These tiny insects target the plant’s generative parts, reducing yield directly or by transmitting harmful viruses such as Tomato spotted wilt virus and others. In the GreenCoop’s tomato greenhouse, the population of thrips was recorded from the early start in April, when the first isolated catches were detected. Using the FRAVEye device, we were able to observe the rise in numbers at the beginning of summer and its peak in August with 154 individuals detected, adding up to a total number of 371 individuals recorded since the start of monitoring.

To keep pest populations under control, greenhouse growers often rely on beneficial species. Regular monitoring of both pest and beneficial insect activity provides the crucial information for timely and effective IPM decisions. Among the

beneficials, Macrolophus pygmaeus stood out as a major biological control agent in the GreenCoop facility, with 158 detections recorded. As an omnivorous and polyphagous species, this predatory mirid bug feeds on most of the common greenhouse pests, including whiteflies, thrips or aphids. Therefore, it is not surprising that its numbers increased alongside the pest populations, from the first solitary detections in mid-May to a noticeable surge in June and July. In addition to Macrolophus pygmaeus, eight parasitic wasps were also detected during the season, representing yet another group of beneficials recognizable by the FRAVEye system. 

The rise and fall of pests and beneficials at GreenCoop

According to data analytics, aphids, moths, leaf miners, bees and fruit flies were also present in the greenhouse during spring and summer, but in considerably lower quantities, with twelve detections of aphids and one detection each of bees and fruit flies. Although leaf miners and moths were also recorded at the beginning of the season, these detections were erroneous, as the AI model for identifying these groups was still in its early development stage.

Overall detections of insect from the last week (week 43)

As the end of the season approaches, the

number of detections is gradually decreasing, moving from an average of 75 new detections per week in September to only 26 in October, with the last week consisting of 50 new catches including thrips (19), sciarid flies (6), whiteflies (5) and Macrolophus (4). Thus, FRAVEye continues to deliver valuable insights into the greenhouse pest situation till the very end, providing important analytics to support next season’s IPM planning. 

Let’s see what the next year has to offer!