Biocontrols

Friendly but deadly: Getting to know your mycoinsecticides

Whitefly pests of greenhouse crops are a susceptible target for mycoinsecticides.

Insect pests don’t always die by flipping over with six legs in the air. In nature, the process is sometimes an inescapable decline due to an overwhelming infection, followed by loss of appetite, disinterest in reproduction, lethargy, and then death. Science has learned to isolate, select and mass-produce some of these infectious microbes.

Understanding Ervi: Tips for successful foxglove aphid control

When we started our project to develop a more effective IPM strategy against foxglove aphids, one of the first questions we tried answering was “Why doesn’t Aphidius ervi provide good control?” Growers and IPM specialists have previously reported that this aphid parasitoid does not seem to be effective in controlling the relatively “new” aphid pest - foxglove aphid.

IPM Strategy for foxglove aphids

Having trouble controlling foxglove aphids in your greenhouse? You’re not alone.

Tips on thrips: Management in the greenhouse

Senior crop advisor Nicole Stewart, scouting for thrips in cucumber.

One of the most predictable and chronic pests of greenhouse crops is the western flower thrip.

Four P’s for Cannabis IPM

Two spotted spider mite on cannabis plant.

December 2017 – Cannabis sativa has been used medically, recreationally and spiritually throughout the world for about five millennia now. In recent times there has been an increasing trend of the public being more accepting towards the use of cannabis as a medical treatment option for various illnesses.

A protein that restricts sap uptake by aphids

Oct. 11, 2017, Umeå, Sweden – Researchers at Umeå University and Wageningen University have discovered how plants can defend themselves against aphids.

Are pesticides compatible with biocontrol?

Drs. Michael Brownbridge and Rose Buitenhuis, of Vineland.

October 2017 – This is the last part in a six-part series of articles on thrips (and other pests) integrated pest management, where we provide practical application tips and tricks, information on new technologies and how it all fits within an overall IPM program. Each article is accompanied by a short video demonstrating a technique or principle.

Beating the (pepper weevil) Beast

A dead adult pepper weevil collected from a greenhouse.

October 2017 – The pepper weevil has become a bigger nightmare for pepper growers in Leamington area. The swarming of pepper weevil in the Leamington area might be a result of the milder winters and more year-round greenhouse production, inter-planting schemes and lack of attention on greenhouse cleaning procedures that enhance the survivorship of pepper weevil. Ignoring just one adult weevil is a reason to take out an entire crop.

Aphids a Major Issue in Ornamental and Vegetable crops

September 2017 – Aphids can cause significant economic losses on ornamentals by causing deformities, reduced size, or by merely being present on the plants. Such presence affects the aesthetic value of infested plants, thereby reducing or preventing their marketability.

Discussing The Latest IPM Tools

Gongyu Lin from the University of Montreal demonstrates her research on using predatory mites to carry Beauveria spores to infect western flower thrips.

September 2017 – I’m sure growers sometimes wonder what the heck scientists are doing behind closed doors all day in our labs and research greenhouses. Since it often takes several years of repetitious experiments to conclusively find an answer to a problem (or even longer to bring a new product or process to the market), I’m sure that, from the outside, it sometimes seems like things are at a standstill.

How to Use Non-Crop Plants in Your Thrips IPM Programs

September 2017 – This is part 5 in a six-part series of articles on thrips (and other pests) integrated pest management, where we will provide practical application tips and tricks, information on new technologies and how it all fits within an overall IPM program. Each article will be accompanied by a short video demonstrating a technique or principle.

The Rise of Biologicals

September 2017 – Growers who have been relying on biocontrols as effective pest management tools over the years are now also turning to biostimulants to improve crop performance.

IPM update: 1001 ways to use predatory mites

August 2017, Vineland Station, Ont. – This is part four in a six-part series of articles on thrips (and other pests) integrated pest management, where we will provide practical application tips and tricks, information on new technologies and how it all fits within an overall IPM program. Each article will be accompanied by a short video demonstrating a technique or principle.

ARS studying new beneficial fungus

Phytophthora ramorum (see large circle) can fell mighty oaks and sicken woody ornamental crops. But it’s no match against Trichoderma asperellum, a beneficial fungus (see strands) that infects and kills the pathogen.

August 2, 2017 – A beneficial soil fungus could offer a bio-based approach to battling Phytophthora ramorum, a pathogen that kills oaks, other tree species and woody ornamentals.

Application of entomopathogenic nematodes

July 12, 2017, Vineland, Ont. – Part 3 in a 6-part series: In nature, insects and mites are commonly infected and killed by naturally occurring micro-organisms (fungi, bacteria, viruses) and nematodes.