The principle is shown on the pictures to the left. 6 ha white spring oilseed rape is surrounded by 10 m frame of a yellow flowering variety. 5 % of the yellow variety is mixed into the white main crop as a second defence line. In this field insect sprayings were not needed during flowering, only once in the bud stage against pollen beetles.

The Flower Power System® stands for methods to reduce the needs of insecticides in rapeseed by the use of different flower colors and different earliness of flowering.

• White oilseed rape alone is luring fewer pollen beetles deep into the field during flowering as compared to yellow rapeseed.
• This effect is increased by surrounding the white crop by a trap crop, a 6 -10 m yellow frame.
• Overflying insects can be trapped by mixing 3 – 5 % of a yellow variety into the white main crop.
• The yellow variety should start flowering some days, preferably one week, earlier than the white main crop to obtain the best effect of the system by  luring the pollen beetles away from the buds.
• The system works best when the field is not too small (preferably over 3 ha).
• A more simple way: Mix 3 – 5 % yellow rapeseed into the white variety and omit the yellow frame. Important that the yellow variety is the earliest (start of flowering 1 week earlier).
• The system works on Pollen beetles, Cabbage seed weevils and the Brassica pod midge which all are much more attracted by yellow compared to white.
• The bees like the white flowers as well as the yellow flowers (no difference for honeybees).

The system does not help before flowering (of some of the plants).

In some years the amount of insects are very high and spraying is necessary. But a focused treatment of the yellow frame might be enough.