This is a practitioner interview with Aimee Andersen. Aimee has 21 years of research greenhouse experience at Cornell University. She enjoys learning about and using biocontrols. She also taught an IPM internship for Cornell students for a couple of years. Currently she is the Safety, Health and Environmental Management Coordinator for the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS) Greenhouses.
This is a pleasure for us. We’ve known Aimee for at approximately twelve years. She had even paid us a visit, though the year eludes us. But we still have the official Cornell pencil she brought us (shown inset, below). So, without further ado…
Interview
The headings below are our questions; the blockquotes that follow are Aimee Andersen’s responses.
How did you get started as a biocontrol practitioner?
In the early 1990s I was assigned the responsibility of growing strawberries hydroponicly for a research experiment. The strawberries were to be pollinated by bees therefore no harmful pesticides could be applied. Also, being a food crop, we wanted to taste the strawberries too. So we tried biocontrols.
What sort of challenges have you experienced?
The early on the acceptance of greenhouse users. Plus the administrative routine for purchases — the length of time it took. Learning to use biocontrols preventively. Humidity or lack thereof in some greenhouse sections. Greenhouse users acceptance of program cost.
What was the biggest failure?
Coping with the administrative routine for purchases as I said before, and this impacted the preventive use of the biocontrols.
What was the biggest success?
The users of the greenhouses — the researchers — understand the importance and how well the beneficials can work and they are willing to use research funds to support the use. Also the support of a past CALS Assistant Dean to fund a project.
What advice would you offer other just getting started?
Do the research; talk to suppliers, entomologists, experienced users. Know the pests to control, the controls, and their history. Pay attention and be persistent.
Thank you, Aimee. Glad to hear you got the finance department to support your efforts. That can often make or break a program.
If you’re interested in being interviewed and have something to bring to the table or an interesting story to tell, please contact us.
