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Trichogramma application

Biological crop protection from the air.

We apply Trichogramma parasitic wasps to your maize fields by multicopter, with precision and full documentation from enquiry to end-of-season report.

How it works

How an operation runs.

Step 1

Enquiry & planning

You give us a rough estimate of your maize area. You get access to our portal and enter your fields there, usually by the end of May; until then you can change them. We check location, terrain and timing, and agree on the scope and funding option with you.

Step 2

Application

We supply the Trichogramma capsules, so no separate order with a beneficials supplier is needed. On the scheduled flight days our multicopters apply them over your field in the required grid.

Step 3

Documentation

You receive the application record with capsule count and timestamp for your own funding paperwork and your season records.

Application schemes

Three schemes, matched to funding, pest pressure and region.

We apply Trichogramma in three established schemes. Which one suits your farm is something we settle with you before the operation.

How the method works: biology, timing and trial results

Scheme 1

One application

220,000

Trichogramma / ha

Suitable under low to moderate pest pressure, typically in the univoltine corn borer range (northern and central Germany). One flight, a higher count per date.

Eligible for KULAP, not for FAKT II E4

Scheme 2

Two applications

2 × 110,000

Trichogramma / ha

Spread across two flight dates roughly two weeks apart. Recommended where the share of maize or the pest pressure is high. Covers several hatching waves. Mandatory for FAKT II in the two-date variant.

Eligible for FAKT II E4 + KULAP

Scheme 3

Bivoltine region

330,000

Trichogramma / ha

For the bivoltine Upper Rhine region (Lörrach, Breisgau-Hochschwarzwald, Emmendingen), where a second corn borer generation occurs. A total of 330,000 Trichogramma / ha, either as 3 × 110,000 across three flight dates over the season or as 220,000 + 110,000 across two. LTZ Augustenberg and the German Maize Committee (DMK) recommend three applications over the season against this race.

Eligible for FAKT II E4 + KULAP

Our multicopters apply Trichogramma capsules only. Custom fillings are available on request, for example with other Trichogramma species or a different number of eggs. Hanging cards cannot be applied by drone; they are hung in the field by hand.

Technical sources

Funding available

Up to €60/ha from agri-environment programmes.

Baden-Württemberg and Bavaria fund Trichogramma application in maize as an agri-environment measure; Rhineland-Palatinate has two separate routes. Your farm submits the application itself. As proof, the funding bodies mainly ask for the invoice; our application record supplements it.

Baden-Württemberg

FAKT II measure E4

€60/ha

Funding for biological corn borer control with Trichogramma. Requirements: two documented applications per season and proof of purchase of the beneficials.

Funding and payment application in the Gemeinsamer Antrag by 15 May (FIONA). The deadline does not move to the next working day (§ 6(2) GAPInVeKoSG).

As at: 17 October 2025 (MLR Baden-Württemberg)

Bavaria

KULAP measure K54

€50/ha

Use of Trichogramma in maize across the farm’s entire maize area. Minimum application of 200,000 beneficials/ha. All three of our application methods meet this minimum.

Commitment period for a 2026 start: 01.01.2026–31.12.2029. The 2026 application window has closed. On 31 July 2026 the StMELF announced that it will offer the measure again unchanged in 2027, with applications in early 2027; the dates have not been published yet. Invoices stating the absolute number of beneficials go to the AELF by 15 November.

As at: December 2025 (StMELF)

Rhineland-Palatinate

AUKM “Alternative plant protection methods”

€60/ha

Corn borer control with Trichogramma parasitic wasps on arable land, a five-year commitment under the CAP Strategic Plan for Rhineland-Palatinate 2023–2027. During the commitment, no chemical products against the corn borer on any of the farm’s maize fields.

The measure takes no new commitments for 2027; existing commitments continue to be paid. Without a commitment, the Land offered a trial compensation (Versuchsentschädigung) in past years: no fixed rate, applied for after the season through the DLR. The 2026 round has not been announced yet.

As at: September 2026 (DLR Rhineland-Palatinate)

Outside Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria and Rhineland-Palatinate, no German state currently has an agri-environment measure for Trichogramma in maize. “KULAP” means something different in Brandenburg and Thuringia than in Bavaria, and it does not fund Trichogramma application there.

Operating window

When do we fly?

Our multicopters fly in dry weather and calm wind; in rain or strong wind we postpone to the next suitable window. We plan the dates roughly in advance and fix them at short notice depending on the weather. What happens when:

By the end of February

Tell us your rough maize area for our planning; an estimate is enough.

By the end of May (usually)

Enter your fields in the portal; until then you can change them.

June–July

Application.

A few days before

An email from us before our pilots come to your fields.

First date

At the start of the corn borer flight, as the official warning service reports it, supplemented by our own traps and temperature stations.

Second date (with two applications)

Twelve to fourteen days later (LfL Bavaria); LWK NRW gives ten to 14 days.

Third application (bivoltine area on the Upper Rhine)

Two corn borer generations a year; LTZ Augustenberg gives three applications over the season there.

FAKT (Baden-Württemberg)

Gemeinsamer Antrag by 15 May. The deadline does not move to the next working day (§ 6(2) GAPInVeKoSG).

MLR Baden-Württemberg · As at: 17 October 2025

KULAP (Bavaria)

Invoices stating the absolute number of beneficials go to the AELF by 15 November.

StMELF · As at: December 2025

KULAP application window

The window for a 2026 start ran from 14 January to 24 February 2026. On 31 July 2026 the StMELF announced that it will offer K54 again unchanged in 2027, with applications in early 2027; the dates have not been published yet.

StMELF · As at: 31 July 2026

Common questions

What farmers ask us.

When is the right time?
According to LfL Bavaria, good efficacy requires the wasps to be applied at the start of the corn borer flight and again twelve to fourteen days later; the official warning services report the start of the flight, and our own traps and temperature stations supplement their data for us. Under low to moderate pest pressure, a single application with a higher count is also an option (scheme 1). For our planning we need your rough maize area by the end of February, and you usually enter your fields in the portal by the end of May.
How well does the method work?
In trials from 2009 to 2015, LTZ Augustenberg measured an efficacy of about 71%.
How does the documentation work?
After the operation you receive our application record per field and date, with the capsule count and a timestamp. As proof, the funding bodies mainly ask for the invoice or proof of purchase; our record supplements it. The responsible authority decides what is sufficient.
Do you offer other drone services as well?
Yes. Besides releasing Trichogramma we offer cover-crop seeding by drone. We apply plant protection products by drone only in steep-slope vineyards, and only with the permit required under § 18 (2) PflSchG. We do not offer area-wide aerial plant protection. We check other drone work on request.
Are there residues in the crop?
With Trichogramma we bring no chemical active substance into the crop. The capsule shells break down in the field.
What does Trichogramma application cost per hectare?
We give every farm an individual fixed-price quote that includes the Trichogramma. It depends on the region, the area, the shape of the fields and the travel distance. In Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria and Rhineland-Palatinate, funding programmes can lower the cost. Request a quote

Contact

Send an enquiry and we will reply within one working day.

Enquiry

Register your area

Tell us how much maize you would like treated. We will get back to you within one working day with a proposed date and funding option.

Address

TB Copters GmbHWilhelmstraße 3471034 Böblingen