Efficient Release for Aphid Natural Enemies in Flower Crops
A BUG EXPERT AIMS TO MAKE BIOCONTROLS COST COMPETITIVE
Are you in the market for less pricey parasites and predators?
Many growers are. Persistent, wide-spectrum pesticides are low on most
growers’ list of favorite compounds. And many bugs are showing resistance
to the chemicals. Yet, the comparative cost of applying some of the more
earth-friendly and pest-specific biological controls has given synthetics
an economic edge. But that may change. Endowment-supported entomologist
Dr. Kevin Heinz is intent on making pest predators cost competitive by
developing streamlined release strategies. Focusing first on aphid control,
the bug expert charted the insects’ outbreak patterns in the greenhouse.
Then, in an extensive comparison of aphid enemies, he selected two especially
effective aphid-axing insects (a parasitic wasp and predaceous lacewing).
Placing predators and prey on mums in a test greenhouse, Heinz has found
predator movement, prey density and location, and plant spacing are just
a sampling of factors that must be considered and, when possible, manipulated.
Through those studies, he developed a set of release strategies that give
the best possible level of aphid control for the number of natural enemies
deployed (i.e., the biggest bang for your biocontrol buck).
Taking his newly outlined release program on the road, Heinz is now
working with two commercial growers in applying the strategies under real-world
conditions. And the growers’ program assessments will largely determine
the studies’ success to date. Assuming test-greenhouse results hold true
and the growers experiences prove the control program cost competitive,
Heinz’s biocontrol-strategy studies may soon be repeated with a focus on
leafminers, spider mites, whiteflies, and thrips.
FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT RESEARCH-PROJECT LEADER:
Dr. Kevin Heinz, Assistant Professor of Entomology, Texas A&M University
E-MAIL: <kmh0700@zeus.tamu.edu>
