BANYUWANGI – Tomcat was not always detrimental. Because, The presence of these insects is really needed by farmers to prevent planthopper attacks. Head of Agriculture Service, Plantation, and Forestry (PPK) Banyuwangi, Ikrori Hu Danto said, Tomcats really help farmers in preventing pests that attack rice plants. So far, tomcat works as a predator or predator of plant pests, so useful for the world of agriculture.
According to Ikrori, Tomcat insects are active during the day and look for prey in rice fields. At night, Tomcats are very attracted to lights. In history, tomcats never attack humans. If it sticks to the skin and is squashed or depressed, The insect actually releases paederin poison which causes skin health problems. "If it doesn't get squashed, he will not emit poison,” stressed Ikrori.
So far, Tomcats live in rice fields. But, Recently, the area of rice fields has decreased and planthopper populations have decreased due to chemical pesticides. This caused the tomcats to spread to residential areas. "Especially, Now many rice fields have been converted into housing,"he said firmly for that reason, continued Ikrori, because tomcat insects are needed by farmers, So the PPK Service has innovated so that these insects do not bother humans. But, not by eliminating the population.
One of these innovations is holding training on making vegetable pesticides. This plant-based pesticide is useful for preventing the spread of tomcat attacks in residential areas. “Our goal is to spread the use of plant-based pesticides to prevent the spread of tomcat attacks in residential areas,” stressed Ikrori.
He added, The use of botanical pesticides is important so that the insect population does not become extinct. Using botanical pesticides, Tomcats will die but their eggs can still live. When using chemical pesticides, tomcats and their eggs will die completely. even though, These insects are really needed to prevent leafhopper attacks.
“The tomcat is only one month old. There are no tomcats at all, We are worried that many pests will attack farmers' crops,” he said. Use of chemical pesticides, Ikrori said, This can only be done if the tomcat population explodes and disturbs residential areas. "We hope, The community does not overreact to this tomcat nuisance. One more time, We need insects to save our plants from pest attacks," he said. (radar)
