On this page the following entries were made in the “Best Practices” category. Check out other categories in our Archives.
Bug Blog Archives for “Best Practices”
What Went Wrong, and Why
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.
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The Art of Finding Spider Mites
Locating spider mite colonies early on during scouting is important, no, essential, to gaining the upper hand in your attempt to keep them off your pest list. But this can be challenging, especially since they aren’t usually detected on sticky traps and other scouting tools. In fact, even the most diligent pest scouts have difficulty locating spider mites before they reproduce into more significant — and difficult to control — numbers. To find mites more quickly, there are things you can do.
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Packaging Biocontrols for Shipment
[…] the boxes look fragile (they’re not really) and “perishable” from all angles!
It’s not easy packaging bugs, but we’ve gotten really good at it over the years. It boils down to understanding the bugs’ requirements, preferred conditions, tolerances, and durability. Then taking into consideration the destination, transit route, weather and temps along the way, and time of year. We then have to understand the materials we’re working with and how they mitigate the pitfalls we face. And since we try to contain costs, we must of course give them due consideration as well. All these factors in concert determine how we pack. We’ll break it down more.
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How to Release Ladybugs, or Not
Back in the mid-nineties we were approached by a major television network’s gardening show staffers. They were going to do a segment on “beneficial insects” but knew nothing about the subject. They needed a few good bugs, some ladybugs (Hippodamia convergens), specifically, and whole lot of advice. We provided both in generous quantities, unfortunately while one was coveted (the bugs), the other eschewed; our advice wasn’t followed.
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2009 Biological Fly Control Program
The best way to succeed with a perfectly green biological filth-fly control program is to devise a proper fly parasitoid release schedule and sticking with it for the duration. How do we know this? Years of experience and years of very satisfied fly control customers. Most of whom have been doing this with us since the early ’90s when we began. The expression, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it, comes to mind. These customers are still doing it because it works, and if you value the benefits of having fewer flies around your livestock and farm (or your yard), it’s worth the money. Maybe you should do this, too.
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Pack Mentality: Biocontrols Buying Groups
Want to save some money? Of course you do. That was a silly question. How’s this for a solution? Don’t go it alone when making purchases. That’s what this entry is all about: Teaming up with others so as to consolidate shipments and save money. Form a buying group. It’s a good thing, but it’s not without its pitfalls. This article can help your pack rule.
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