This document provides information from Kate Field, a horticulture instructor, on using beneficial insects for greenhouse pest control. It discusses establishing a sustainable greenhouse using permaculture principles, including creatively responding to change when toxic pesticides could no longer be used. Beneficial insect suppliers are listed and a monitoring plan is outlined. Specific beneficial insects are recommended for common greenhouse pests like whiteflies, aphids, thrips, and mites. Maintaining proper environments and adding pollen/nectar sources helps beneficial insects control pests naturally.

1. KATE FIELD, HORTICULTURE INSTRUCTOR
GATEWAY TECHNICAL COLLEGE
KENOSHA, WI
BENEFICAL INSECTS FOR
GREENHOUSE PEST
CONTROL

2. PIKE CREEK HORTICULTURE CENTER AT
GATEWAY TECHNICAL COLLEGE, KENOSHA, WI

4. SUSTAINABLE LANDSCAPE DESIGN AND
MANAGEMENT

5. PERMACULTURE DESIGN CERTIFICATION

6. URBAN FARMING AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP

7. FLORAL DESIGN AND MARKETING

8. COMINGSOON! CERTIFIED ARBORIST

9. GREENHOUSE PRODUCTION

10. HYDROPONIC SYSTEMS

11. “A BAD DAY IN FLOWERS IS ALWAYS BETTER
THAN A GOOD DAY IN VEGETABLES” MIKE GOODER
PLANT PEDDLAR

12. USING TOXIC PESTICIDES WAS NOT SAFE
FOR STUDENTS AND STAFF

13. SO IT DIDN’T GET DONE!

14. AND THEN I GOT PREGNANT!
PERMACULTURE PRINCIPLE:
CREATIVELY RESPOND TO
CHANGE

15. FIND A GOOD SUPPLIER
• Rincon Vitova Insectaries – ‘The Bug Farm’
• http://www.rinconvitova.com/
• Applied Bionomics
• http://www.appliedbio-nomics.com/
• Syngenta Bioline
• http://www.syngentaflowers.com/country/us/en/bioline/Pages/default.aspx

16. PERMACULTURE PRINCIPLE” APPLY SELF
REGULATION AND ACCEPT FEEDBACK
• We made mistakes!
• They said it wouldn’t work
• We kept trying

17. MONITOR AND IDENTIFY
PP: OBSERVE AND INTERACT

18. Date
House/
Bench
Plant
species
aphid Whitefly Mealybug
Scale
Thrip Spray Beneficial Environment
Wed
3/4/15
4/3
Peppers 7
Green
and
peach
Suffoil X
Mon 3/2
Aphidius mix
Fri 3/7
Sunny, warm
all week

19. INDICATOR PLANTS/HISTORICAL

20. PP: APPLY SELF REGULATION AND ACCEPT
FEEDBACK
Learning curve and mistakes
Can’t just substitute one ‘product’ for another
Individualized plan, threshold
Expense

21. PP: INTEGRATE ROTATION OF NON TOXIC
CONTACT INSECTICIDES AND MICROBIALS
• Insecticidal soap
• Insecticidal oils- Suffoil-X
• Neem oil (Azadirichtin) – Molt-X, Azaguard
• Microbials - Mycotrol/Botanigard, ( Beauveria fungus), Nema-shield
(nematodes) soil drench
• Combine microbials with contacts
• BioWorks

22. CONTACT INSECTICIDES
• Hiding under leaves, in flowers, leaf sheath
• Eggs, flying around, in soil
• ‘Knock down’ spray
• Beneficials a few days later

23. START WITH AN EASY ONE – GREENHOUSE
WHITEFLY

24. PARA-STRIP – PARASITIZED WHITEFLY
PUPAE
GLUED TO STRIPS
• Hang early even before wf
seen whitefly seen

25. ENCARSIA FORMOSA – PARASITIC WASP
Parasitized pupae or scale

26. APHIDS – A BIT MORE DIFFICULT

27. APHIDS
• Mid Feb
• Fertilizers and lush new growth
• Explosive population growth

28. ANTS ‘N APHIDS

29. APHIDIUS – PARASITIC WASP

31. GREEN LACEWING

34. POLLEN AND NECTAR

35. THRIPS – THE WORST!

37. THRIP LIFECYCLE

39. PREDATORY MITE – ‘CUCUMERIS’
PREFER THRIP, SPIDER MITE ON LEAVES,
FLOWERS 6 WEEKS

40. CONTROLLED RELEASE SACHETS
PREVENTATIVE 6-8 WKS

41. HYPOASPIS – SOIL DWELLING PREDATORY
MITE
• Thrip pupae and fungus gnat
larvae in soil
• Root mealybugs
• 2-3 applications per crop cycle
• 1 if used with Cucumeris
• Snakes and reptiles

42. LONG TAILED MEALYBUG

43. MEALYBUG DESTROYER

44. 2 SPOTTED OR RED SPIDER MITE
• Hot, dry drought stressed

46. HOT, DRY, DROUGHT STRESSED
WASH OFF, WATER, HUMIDITY, MOVE,
VENTILATE

47. PERSIMILIS – PREDATORY MITE