Suitable Crops

IPM (Integrated Pest Management)

Integrated Pest Management is a system that encourages the reduction of pesticides through utilisation of a number of control options.  Biological control agents released are used as the primary form of pest management.  Carefully selected chemicals play a supportive not disruptive role when necessary.

Often growers will rely solely upon insecticides to manage their pest problems. Reuse of the same chemical product generally results in resistance problems and dangerous cycles of ineffective repeated spray applications.

Many common pests have now been pre exposed and are resistant to a vast range of different insecticides this is especially true for Western Flower Thrips (WFT).

Slowly but surely a trend away from pure chemical dependence is growing. But adoption of IPM can sometimes be difficult to achieve as a new mind set is required by growers to allow released and naturally occurring beneficials to develop within a crop to manage pests without the interference of insecticides. Generally it will take a grower a couple of crops to change their processes and thinking to embrace
 the new system and really get the hang of how the various components of an IPM program interact with each other.

Many growers now rely on IPM for their crops especially when chemical resistant WFT populations are present, giving them solutions that will work into the future. No insect pest has ever become resistant to any mass reared predator.

Early detection of pests through monitoring is the key to managing their numbers and minimising outbreaks and timing beneficial releases correctly. A 10 × hand lens is an excellent tool for monitoring TSM, other pests and beneficials in your crop.

Education is seen as a key driver for the adoption of successful IPM programs. We are here to assist growers to understand how to successfully manage pests and diseases within an IPM framework dealing with the various pressures placed upon crops throughout the growing cycle.