b"ADDING ASo, we rolled up our sleeves. We wanted to demonstrate that while honeybees are iconic, they arent the only pollinators out there, and certainly not the only ones that should be made available NEW WING TOto growers. Nine years later, we are proud to be officially introducing this new class of managed pollinators across different continents.POLLINATION:SWE: WHY DO YOU BELIEVE HOVERFLIES MEET A REAL NEED IN AGRICULTURE/SEED PRODUCTIONWHAT CHALLENGES HOW POLYFLYIN TRADITIONAL POLLINATION ARE YOU ADDRESSING, AND HOW DOES YOUR SOLUTION IMPROVE ON EXISTING METH-ODSIS PUTTINGMVO: We believe hoverflies meet a critical need because the agri-cultural industry has historically over-relied on a very narrow set of managed species (i.e., the European honeybee, Apis mellifera, HOVERFLIES and the buff-tailed bumblebee Bombus terrestris). While honeybees and bumblebees are great, they arent one-size-fits-all. As some researchers previously recognized, flies are the other major polli-TO WORK nators. Some species are very common, effective, yet largely ignored in both scientific literature and commercial practice.In seed production specifically, we are addressing several chal-EUROSEEDS 2025 INNOVACTION STAGE lenges where traditional pollinators can fall short:1.The cage stress factor: in breeding isolations and insect-RUNNER-UP TURNS AN OVERLOOKED INSECTproof seed production tunnels and greenhouses, bees often struggle INTO A PRECISION POLLINATION TOOL FOR THEwith orientation and flight ability. This leads to inconsistent results SEED SECTOR.BY: MARCEL BRUINS and can become a management headache for breeders and grow-ers. Hoverflies (like Eristalis tenax, aka Queenfly) do not suffer as much in these confined environments. The release density can be precisely adjusted, and because hoverflies are naturally resilient to these conditions, they remain focused on the flowers, resulting in F or decades, managed pollination has rested comfortably on thesignificantly more reliable cross-pollination.backs of bees. Reliable, familiar and iconic, they became the2.Environmental resilience: bees tend to be more sensi-default solution in seed production systems across the globe.tive to temperature and light; they may stay in the hive during But what happens when that one-size-fits-all model starts to showcloudy, windy, or cooler periods. Conversely, during summer heat its limits? When Polyfly took second place on the Euroseeds 2025waves, they may stop pollinating to focus on ventilating the nest. InnovAction Stage, it wasnt just recognition for a clever biologi- Hoverflies, however, have a broader operating window. Depending cal workaroundit was a signal that pollination itself is beingon the species, they are active in lower light and more diverse tem-rethought. By industrializing the mass rearing of hoverflies, Polyflyperatures, which is essential for ensuring that pollination doesn't is opening a new chapter in managed pollination, offering breedersstop just because the weather isn't ideal.and seed producers a flexible, resilient and surprisingly elegant alter- 3.Floral discrimination and safety: Hoverflies have lower native. In this interview with Marc Vaez-Olivera, CEO of Polyfly,floral discrimination and hairy bodies, which can make them excel-he explains why flies may be the missing link in the pollinationlent at transporting high pollen loads across a wide variety of flower toolboxand why the seed sector is starting to pay close attention. types and shapes. Plus, they do not sting, which makes the working environment much safer and easier for personnel in greenhouses and SEED WORLD EUROPE (SWE): MARC, COULD YOUtunnels.DESCRIBE IN YOUR OWN WORDS WHAT POLYFLY DOESWHAT IS THE CORE IDEA BEHIND USING HOVERFLIES ASSWE: WHAT MAKES POLYFLYS APPROACH PARTICULARLY POLLINATORSAND WHAT MOTIVATED YOU TO DEVELOPINNOVATIVE COMPARED TO OTHER POLLINATION SOLU-THIS APPROACH? TIONS (E.G. BEES, MECHANICAL POLLINATION, OTHER MARC VAEZ-OLIVERA (MVO): Polyfly is the fruit of a sharedMETHODS)?vision between Yelitza Velsquez, a Venezuelan entomologist whoMVO: To understand why Polyflys approach is innovative, we have came to Spain for her PhD, and myself, a French engineer. Weto look at the history of pollination as a series of major milestones. founded the company in 2017, right when the ento-industry wasFor centuries, we relied on wild pollination. In the 20th century, booming.we moved into managed Hymenopterans, where bees and bumble-We were aware of research in Europe and Oceania aimingbees became the standard across the globe. Now, we believe we are to use hoverflies as alternative managed pollinators. We loved theopening a new chapter of pollination: managed Dipterans (focus-concept and quickly realized the real bottleneck wasn't whethering on hoverflies rather than blowflies, which are often considered hoverflies could pollinatethey are excellent at itbut whethersynanthropic pests).anyone could rear them at a scale that made them a commerciallyWhile researchers have known about the potential of hoverflies viable solution. for decades, Polyfly is the first company globally to bridge the gap 10ISEED WORLD EUROPEISEEDWORLD.COM/EUROPE | FEBRUARY 2026"