With growth ramping up in the greenhouse with the more intense sun and longer days, the bugs that feed on the plants are multiplying fast too! Working with the Koppert Company branch out of Michigan that specializes in beneficial insect control of pests in the greenhouse, our pesticide use this year will be cut by at least one half. This year we decided to attack thrip and the European two-spotted spider mite that can wreak havoc on plants in the greenhouse. (Click on video by Koppert here)
Still in our employ are nematodes that attack the nasty thrip but the predatory mites are just another line of defense. Any pesticide we do use is directed more toward whiteflies and aphids that if unchecked will get out of control. Of course we never use any class of neonicotinoid insecticides because of recent evidence that they are a problem for pollinators such as the native bumble bee species and the non-native yet important honeybees. Our ultimate goal is to use no chemicals to control ever present pests in order to eliminate the exposure of chemicals to greenhouse workers and our customers.
Then too, the biological controls fit with our program of water collection and recycling and the production of solar power for use in our operations. This holistic approach is in place so that we may produce and sell products that will please our customers and beautify the environment without harming the environment due to the sometimes unfriendly processes used to produce plants.
As we approach Earth Day on April 22nd and Arbor Day on April 27th here is the speech by Theodore Roosevelt reprinted as he addressed the school children of the United States on Arbor Day:
Theodore Roosevelt The White House
April 15, 1907