If 2009 was your first year of using biocontrols as part of an IPM program, how did it go? Were you successful in meeting your goals? We suspect most of you will answer that you’ve partially met your goals; only a small minority will speak of rare grand successes or of dismal catastrophic failures. The majority of new users struggle the first year (or more), but usually survive, stronger and more knowledgeable than before. We’ve heard from some of you, and where there was failure, there is some strong commonality. And this commonality is confirmed by our years of experience helping folks overcome their initial experiences.
Getting Off Track
Here are some things that can derail you as you strive for success. If you know about these things, then you should be able to avoid them. For more on making a proper transition, we have an entire section of this website dedicated to just that. Reading it will be worth your time.
Transition Obstacles
One big challenge one faces when making the transition from a conventional spray program to an IPM program using biocontrols is the curtailed use of pesticides that can harm biocontrols — which is just about all of them. Many pesticides have a residual period that can in some cases last months. During this residual period introduced biocontrols may not survive their new environment. Meanwhile pests present will likely be resistant and can thrive during this time. This period between programs can be a deal breaker.
New practitioners need to begin their program between crops or during periods where no sprays have been applied. The crop needs to be clean. Otherwise users need to use “softer” [biorational] chemicals that while not necessarily compatible, do have a shorter residual period. We’d name names but it’d be a huge and complex table, one that doesn’t take many variables into account. To learn more about what sprays you can use during this interim period, contact us or your supplier of choice.
Poor Planning
One online customer in 2009 wrote to us a week after making a release asking if this whole thing was a joke and if we were even a real company. He felt he was being scammed. In business for all these years, we assured him we are in fact legit. And we then dissected what went wrong. We learned he made the following mistakes which really resulted from just one thing: poor planning.
The customer…
- …started off with a hefty infestation of spider mites.
- …made a single release with no follow-ups.
- …judged the program after one week of use.
- …never asked for help or read the info on our site.
These are avoidable. We supplied the right info, and we are accessible, but there is a ton to know and if one dives into this headlong without understanding the finer points such as starting clean, making multiple releases, and giving the program time to work, the result will probably be failure. Biocontrol does not offer instant gratification and will disappoint unless it’s known what to expect from the program and to plan accordingly.
Scouting and Awareness
Very much to their credit, the customer mentioned above knew they had a lot of spider mites. Problem is they didn’t know what this meant to them or the program they wanted to try. Some are even less aware in that they have no idea if they have pests until someone points out a major infestation. Situational awareness and proper, scheduled pest scouting is absolutely essential. Users can enjoy a fairly easy and uneventful transition to biocontrol and IPM if they plan well. But if they don’t scout and know what’s going on in their crop, then any initial successes won’t persist if they happen at all. Know thy enemy and be ready.
And This Year?
People can do this, but it helps if they position themselves for success. The biggest deal maker or breaker, and your number one line of defense, is you. You can make biocontrols and IPM be your modus operandi, your saving grace, your top choice, but how economically and effectively this happens is on your shoulders. There are other factors at work, of course, but if you’re really ready and fully prepared, these are as inconsequential as the other minor challenges you will face in your life.
