Page 10 - Griffin Gazette

Biocontrol Programs
and Pesticides:
A Place for Both?

By Rick Yates,
GGSPro Technical Services Manager
Growers who are committed to
biocontrol programs utilizing BCAs
(biological control agents) have typically
made a conscious decision to reduce
or eliminate pesticide usage, so why
even consider integrating pesticides?
Integrated pest management (IPM)
includes a variety of tactics that interact
with each other. This includes, on occasion, beneficial insects,
nematodes and/or mites in use with certain pesticides. Some
possible scenarios include:
• A rapid change from cool to warm conditions causes the
pest population to reproduce faster than the predators. This
often happens with aphids in the spring, when the weather
suddenly breaks.
• Unanticipated BCA shortages in the middle of a biocontrol
program can threaten the success of the control efforts.
The biocontrol companies generally do a very good job but
shortages still occur. A few years ago, a volcanic eruption in
Iceland stopped shipping from Europe for a period of time!