Currently, our main defence against crop pests is synthetic pesticides- but using them comes at a cost. By contrast, biological controls use pests' natural enemies, predators and parasitoids, to defeat them without collateral damage to beneficial insects or the environment.

Bugs that survive insecticides grow stronger. And discovering new, effective toxins through genetics is time-consuming – finding the nexus between a particular bug and its poison can take decades. Now, scientists at Massachusetts’ Harvard University are using advanced PACE technology speed up the search for new Bt toxins to kill insecticide-resistant super-bugs.

New DNA tests for pesticide-resistant critters developed by researchers at New South Wales’ Yanco Agricultural Institute could revolutionise the way we protect valuable stored grain from insect pests.