Hydrolife Magazine August/September 2016 (Canadian Edition)

grow
“IT IS ALWAYS WISE
TO BUILD YOUR ARMY
BEFORE THE PESTS
BUILD THEIRS. ”
Photo submitted.
For extra precaution we also hung a
small box from each plant in veg (called
bioboxes) and filled them with a small
amount of Phytoseiulus persimilis (a.k.a.
persimilis) each week. Persimilis is a
bright orange predatory mite with a
voracious appetite for spider mites, and
only spider mites. Since they refuse to
feed on anything else, we assume they
die within five days of not eating, and
thus, release more in small amounts
each week. Since the rooms and mother
plants were infested with mites, we
were quite safe in assuming there was
food for them, at least initially.
We also made sure to sprinkle persimilis
over the canopy of the clones as
well to make sure they were protected
from the start. The weekly persimilis applications
into the bioboxes were all the
way through veg and flower, initially,
but once control is achieved and the
sources of contamination have been
cleaned up, you can back off.
Keys to Success
Bio-control is exciting, fun to watch
and can be incredibly successful. It
does, however, require some patience
and problem solving occasionally to
determine exactly which strategies
work best for your facility and growing
style. In the best case scenario, a plan
should be in place before you even
have plants in plugs. In the worst
case scenario, you need to persevere
until things have cleaned up and
then implement a proactive and
preventative approach. It also helps
to have someone who loves bugs and
is willing to look for them and release
them, and you need to be patient with
them when they occasionally spend
an entire 10 minutes watching a
predatory mite devour a spider mite. It
comes with the territory, extreme bug
nerds need apply!
30
grow. heal. live. enjoy.
Amanda Brown works with Biobest
Canada as a Biological Crop Protection
Specialist. She has 10 years’ experience
in IPM and works in food, ornamental
and medicinal crops. Amanda strongly
believes that using biological control is
safer, effective and the way of the future.
myhydrolife.ca