Our 2008 catalog is at the printers as this is being written (look for an official announcement soon). In creating the new booklet a content page in the 2007 catalog caught our eye. It was called “Top Ten Biocontrol and IPM Mistakes” and we had forgotten all about it. We decided that would be a good thing to post here.
Doing this for so many years has enlightened us and given us insights as to what can go wrong and why. We don’t have all the possibilities, but here at least is a list of ten mistakes we do know of.
- 1. Waiting too long.
- Hesitation can spell disaster. The best successes come by way of rapid response to issues as they arise. Dealing with small numbers of pests is easiest and less costly. Even being proactive by not waiting until things go awry is smart. Of course, this is where scouting comes in.
- 2. Not scouting.
- Not scouting your crops is a critical mistake. To be successful you simply must know what’s going on as soon as humanly possible. To avoid haphazard scouting, set up a rigorous weekly schedule and stick to it as if your biocontrol and IPM success depends on it — because it does.
- 3. Fearing hands-on.
- Get your hands dirty. Large growers, as they often don’t fail on points one and two, call right away about a pest they’ve seen. We ask if they squashed the aphids they saw. The reply is often “no.” To us these seems a bit silly. Pests often start in low numbers — kill them. Then call.
- 4. Being ignorant.
- Know your pest. Not knowing what pest is bothering you makes control iffy at best. Know thy enemy and its habits, life-cycle, and vulnerabilities. Knowing this information makes control a lot easier. Books, web sites, cooperative extension offices are all out there to help.
- 5. Carelessness.
- Going from greenhouse to greenhouse, especially if you have some pests [in one], is dangerous. We’ve known many growers that have transferred pests from point A to point B. Use a whisk broom to brush off first. This is a simple method eliminating the possibility of accidental transfer.
- 6. Poor practices.
- Over-feeding, over-watering, poor lighting, poor temperature controls, etc., all lead to stressed out plants. Stressed plants are magnets to pests calling to them from afar. Keep your plants happy and they will be better able to deal with pests on their own. They aren’t defenseless.
- 7. Environment.
- Airflow, balanced humidity, again, poor temperature controls, dirty conditions, etc. All of this can lead to more pest problems than you’d care to have. Keep the area tidy, clean, and stable. Poor sanitation practices can lead to all sorts of problems and make existing ones worse.
- 8. Not buying fresh.
- Old bugs aren’t a good investment. Freshness really counts. Let’s say you buy a predator that lives for two weeks. Buying them after they’re a week old is a bad practice. Insist on fresh product. Yes, it’ll cost more and shipping will be higher but it’s worth it. Really.
- 9. Cutting corners.
- Cost is a factor, but opting for cheap shipping methods can lead to bugs which aren’t as fresh or stress-free. There are no free rides. If you’re doing this, make sure you do it right. Quick and easy is for microwave popcorn, not biocontrol and IPM. Don’t sell yourself short.
- 10. Spraying.
- We’ve seen many well-run programs get run into the ground because of growers trying to incorporate too many chemicals — even allegedly safe or biorational ones — into their programs. We’ve seen it time and time again. This, too, is cutting corners and it’s a dangerous game.
If you can think a Biocontrol and IPM Mistakes we may have missed, please feel free to speak up so we can all learn.
