FAQ: insect identification, synergists and more

How can growers solve insect identification problems?

The web is a fine place to look at bugs. It’s easy. A grower can do an image search ‘pests for greenhouses’ and it will bring up full-size pictures of six different kinds. We also offer a detailed “Insect Identification” resource at www.centralgrower.com. As far as identification, it doesn’t have to be the same critter. Sweet potato whiteflies and other whiteflies look similar, but the grower can at least get an idea what he’s dealing with.

The other thing you can do is go to your county Extension service. Take some (of the insects) to your extension agent or have him come out and take a look. He can tell you what kind of pest you’re dealing with.

How can knowing your insect pest help you properly treat the problem?

If you know the bug, that gives you a better decision point on what to use. Most greenhouse pests are what we call soft-bodied. Most beetles are crunchy, but aphids are soft and you can squish them pretty easy. Thrips are another pest that can be problematic. They like the underside of the leaves. They can be difficult to treat. Whiteflies are the same. You’ve got to make sure they spray the underside of the leaves.

Aphids can be anywhere. On the stem, on the petals, on the leaf. If you just have aphids you could get away with just spraying the tops of plants. but whiteflies and thrips may be different. You have to pay more attention, got to get under the leaves’ surfaces to get them. If you don’t pay attention you might miss some. If you kill some but not all, then there’s a chance for a rebound in the pest population.

Those are the big ones. Fungus gnats can also be a problem. For those, you can drench the soil. Enstar® AQ Insect Growth Regulator is labeled for that as well.

How do insect growth regulators work?

It’s an insurance policy that keeps bugs from rebounding. If you knock the population back and had some that you missed, or you had an influx from outside coming into your nursery, Enstar® AQ Insect Growth Regulator ® keeps that invading insect from developing into a larger infestation. It can be used alone if you have low or no pest pressure. That can help keep things under control. But if you have an explosion of bugs, using Enstar® AQ Insect Growth Regulator ® in tandem with Mavrik Aquaflow® Insecticide/Miticide will knock the adults and existing larvae back, and the IGR cleans things up.

As far as what it does, it keeps the insect larvae small and immature. It does not allow them to reach the adult stage, so you don’t get reproduction.

How can a synergist help with resistance management?

Resistance is a problem, because you only have so many molecules you can use in a greenhouse. That’s true for just about any pest control. Neonics and pyrethroids have been out there for a while. The gist of the whole program is rotation. You want to rotate products with different modes of action. From a pyrethroid to a neonic and whatever other products you have available to you.

A synergist, like PBO-8® Synergist, blocks the pathway of degradation in the bug. So it gives an opportunity for the insecticide to work better. Some bugs, when they develop resistance, can metabolize the molecule of the insecticide. As they metabolize it, there is less of it there to affect the bug. Hence, they develop a resistance. But with a synergist, it blocks that pathway of degradation in the insect and it keeps insecticide from being degraded and lets the insecticide do its job.

PBO-8® Synergist by itself will do nothing. But in the case of resistance management, where you are already at a marginal level of efficacy and you add the synergist to it, it improves that level of efficacy. The bottom line is you kill more bugs.

If a grower wants to incorporate a synergist into their routine, how can they do it?

With PBO-8® Synergist, it’s a companion only with pyrethroid-containing products. With Mavrik Aquaflow® Insecticide/Miticide or any other product they’d choose to use, they’d add it to a tank mix. They’d mix up their spray tank and put Mavrik Aquaflow® Insecticide/Miticide or their insecticide in it, then put PBO-8 Synergist in the tank as well, make sure it’s agitated and mixes well.

For more: www.centralgrower.com