*3.6.5 Insect control*

Controlling and suppressing pests through the introduction of beneficial EM to the crop's environment is one of the EM functions in biological control measures. Harmful insects can potentially be repelled by the odor emitted by EM as it serves as a prophylactic spray. EM-5 and EMF. P.E. are good prophylactics that repel insects and are not toxic to frogs, ladybirds, dragonflies, and spiders, among others. However, effective microorganisms do attract fruit flies and can sterilize the females [35, 36]. By increasing the antagonistic activities and competition of the microbes in EM inoculants, pathogens and pests are controlled and/or suppressed by these natural processes [3, 35, 36].
