Can Biocontrol and IPM Work for Floriculture?
David Flood Floriculture Development Officer British Columbia Ministry of Agriculture and Lands About 15 years ago, the B.C. greenhouse vegetable industry started using biological controls for insect pests. The industry was quick to realize the benefits of reducing their reliance on sprays in an era of increasing resistance to pesticides, a shrinking arsenal of materials to choose from, and growing public concern surrounding the use of chemicals in agriculture. Today, nearly every insect pest problem in vegetable greenhouses can be managed with the help of beneficial insects and organisms. They have become a model for the rest of the world in the adoption and refinement of biological pest control methods. It hasn’t always been an easy transition. It has taken many years for growers and their pest control advisors and suppliers to develop the expertise in monitoring and managing the appropriate pest/predator levels needed to maintain lasting control at a level below the threshold of eco
