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Bug Blog Archives for “Contributors”
Understanding Insecticidal Soaps and Detergents
Don’t Get “Lathered:” Understanding Insecticidal Soaps and Detergents
There continues to be a growing interest in the use of pesticides (in this case, insecticides and miticides) that are both effective and compatible with biological control agents or natural enemies such as parasitoids and predators. These may be referred to as “alternative” pesticides and include insect growth regulators, insecticidal soaps, horticultural oils, feeding inhibitors, beneficial fungi and bacteria, and other micro-organisms. Many “alternative” pesticides are used in greenhouses and conservatories, and generally leave minimal residues, are less toxic to humans, and are short-lived in the environment. In addition, “alternative” pesticides are non-toxic to the user unless ingested at high doses. Commonly recommended and used pesticides, in both greenhouses and conservatories, are insecticidal soaps.
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Alternative Pest Control at the Production Level 2
Alternative Pest Control at the Production Level: Biocontrols in the Real World
This installment is part two of a two part series.
Faced with the fact that the vast majority of foliage plant producers do not employ biocontrols or alternative pest control methods during the production cycle, the interiorscaper who strives to reduce the use of chemical pesticides on plants used in interior plantscapes is faced with a dilemma: how can I institute an alternative pest control program on plants that have been raised using significant quantities of chemical pesticides throughout their production?
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Alternative Pest Control at the Production Level
Alternative Pest Control at the Production Level: An Interiorscaper’s Perspective
This installment is part one of a two part series.
Interiorscapers as a group are a peculiar lot. Many of us embrace the “green” movement and see our products and services as a pragmatic way to enhance the environmental quality of our homes and businesses while providing us with a comfortable living. But we are also the consummate small businessperson: our priority is keeping our plants clean and attractive and our clients happy. This sometimes results in episodes of cognitive dissonance — the discomforting feeling that one gets when trying to juggle two contradictory beliefs simultaneously — such as when we try to embrace modern, alternative methods of pest control while satisfying our prime directive: to maintain our clients’ plants in an optimally healthy and pest-free condition. At the root of that conflict is the way the cycle of pest control begins at the production nursery level, and it can pose vexing problems for us interiorscapers when we put those plants onto the job.
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Can Pests Become Resistant to Natural Enemies?
Arthropod Pest and Natural Enemy Interactions: Can Pests Become Resistant to Natural Enemies?
Biological control is a well-known pest management strategy available to greenhouse managers to “manage” or “regulate” arthropod (insect and mite) pests. As opposed to discussing the basic concepts of biological control and why it is important to implement some type of biological control, this article will focus on the arthropod pest-natural enemy interactions and characteristics of arthropod pests.
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