Researchers say that the actions of individual farmers should be considered when studying and modelling strategies of pest control.

Publishing their research in the PLOS Computational Biology journal, researchers from the Rothamsted Institute in Hertfordshire who made a computer model to understand how human actions can impact on pest populations.

Using game theory concepts, the researchers built a model that helps understand the effects of humans on crop pests. The authors demonstrate this by using the example of the European corn borer, a moth whose larval phase is a major pest of maize.

Their model revealed that farmers' perceptions of profit and loss, alongside communication networks between individuals, affects pest populations. A farmer's decision on whether to control a pest is usually based on the perceived threat of the pest and the guidance of commercial advisors.

Therefore, farmers in a region are often influenced by similar circumstances, which can create a coordinated response to a pest. This coordinated response, although not intentional, can affect ecological systems at the landscape scale.

The researchers worked with colleagues from the United States, where the European corn borer is a major insect pest, which has led to the uptake of genetically modified (GM) Bt maize varieties, which are toxic to the pest.

Discussing potential applications for the work, Dr Alice Milne, the Rothamsted Research scientist who led the study commented, "By understanding the dynamics of farmer decisions we can determine how to manage better the system, through improved communication, subsidy or taxation, to achieve robust and cost effective area-wide control, while minimizing the risk of the evolution of resistance to control strategies".

Prof Milne’s colleague Professor Andy Whoitmore added that work in this area could be used to guide agriculture or lawmakers in other areas than pest control, including potentially tackling greenhouse gas emissions and nutrient run-off.