What follows is an interview we had with well-reputed New Hampshire grower and garden center operator, Greg Berger, owner of Spring Ledge Farm. Greg is a long-time client and a successful biocontrol practitioner. Without further ado…
Interview
The headings below are our questions; the blockquotes that follow are Greg Berger’s responses.
How did you get started as a biocontrol practitioner?
“I started looking into Good Bugs for two main reasons. First, I wanted an alternative to chemical sprays. Second, I wanted a challenge. It may sound naive, but I thought that if I could figure out the best ways to control pests using natural enemies, I would benefit in the long run.”
What sort of challenges have you experienced?
“The challenges to using natural predators include having enough patience and foresight to battle the pests, educating your customers and staff about the life cycles and thresholds of pests and beneficials and timing the purchase and availability of the good bugs to meet your needs.”
What was the biggest failure?
“The biggest failure, or rather, the biggest lack of success has been controlling thrips. The economic threshold is quickly attained with thrips damage, and the cost of controlling these little buggers seems to outweigh the benefits every year.”
What was the biggest success?
“The biggest success is the control of two-spotted spider mites using beneficial mites. We are now able to predict when the pests will appear, and we know when to begin the program with the good bugs.”
What advice would you offer others just getting started?
“To those just starting out in the biocontrol world, concentrate on one or two of your major pests, like aphids and whitefly. Patience is a key. Know that you will likely still see several live pests amongst the many aphid mummies and dead pests. Not every single pest will be, or
needs to be, destroyed. Strive for a balance between pests and predators and educate your staff and customers about this balance.”
If you’re interested in being interviewed and have something to bring to the table, please contact us. We’re also interested in publishing articles written by our readers, friends, and customers that others can get something from. We do have a few more interviews and a couple of things lined up, but we can always use more. Talk to us.
