Pest Control Strategies
A good IPM program requires exceptional products, reliable service and trustworthy advice from knowledgeable professionals. These are the pillars Crop Defenders Ltd. was built on. The products we provide are held to the highest standards in quality and freshness by keeping high quality control standards, because we refuse to deliver a sub-par product to any customer. Our Scouts and IPM specialists are highly skilled, easy to work with and will work around your busy schedule. Our IPM specialists are very knowledgeable about the products we provide and their capabilities. They are adept at predicting pest patterns and implement preventative and curative strategies. We also advise on chemical products, if they are necessary, and will help you make an informed decision based on your specific situation.
Here at Crop Defenders we strive to give you the absolute best products and services available. Buy your biologicals from scientists, not salesmen.
Technical Support
Email and Telephone Consultation
Pest Scouting
Scouting is an essential part of any IPM program and if you lack your own scout, one of our trained and experienced scouts can come to your farms. The scouts tailor their services to the specific needs of your farm and can do anywhere from one row every other house to every other row in the whole range. While walking or riding a cart the scout is looking for key signs of pest and disease presence and also checks many seemingly healthy and/or normal leaves. Once complete, the scout makes a map of the farm outlining the pests and diseases they found, where they found it and how severe it is. This map is an excellent tool for crop observers, IPM specialists, growers and owners to use to fine tune the IPM program and assess the whole farms situation. Scouting can also help save money on your IPM program by helping to identify problem areas earlier. Therefore, biological control agents can be applied sooner and in lower quantities. Our scouts are also trained in the application of biological control agents. To save some time scouts can be given product paid for by the farm and actually treat the spots they found as they are scouting. This can save on labour costs for many facilities as they only need one person to go through the whole crop one time. This can also help to ensure that the biologicals are being applied properly, increasing the efficacy and potential of the agents being purchased.
Pest Sample Identification
Lab Pest Analysis Here at Crop Defenders we want to ensure that our customers get the best care across the board including the identification of odd, unusual and tiny pests. In many crops there are pest mites and other bugs that cannot be seen with the naked eye. With our state-of-the-art equipment we can analyze leaf, stem and fruit samples to identify the damage and pests causing the damage. This information is incredibly useful for an IPM program and can help to ensure a more targeted management approach instead of trying a more general one. It can also help growers and owners to identify these issues earlier in the future and therefore deal with them in a much more economic manner. It is difficult to treat a problem when you don’t know what the problem is. We can help you figure it out.
Crop Observation
Today it seems that everyone has a very hectic schedule, especially growers and owners in the greenhouse industry, and sometimes that means you cannot spend as much time in your crop as you would like. We can help with that! With our crop observation services you can have one of our IPM specialists visiting your crop, whether you need them regularly or only in emergency situations. The crop advisor will visit random rows throughout your crop and in all sections, looking for pests and diseases. They then assess the situation they are seeing and can give you recommendations on how best to handle the situations based on your history and the time of the year and/or crop cycle. This can be a very effective tool for the busy grower and it is always helpful to have a second set of eyes. Crop Defenders is always there to help those in need. Just give us a call!
Lab Analysis
Find out whether your beneficial microbes are working for you. We take a sample from your greenhouse and determine whether the beneficial microbes that you added successfully colonized your plants.
Trouble-Shooting
At Crop Defenders Ltd. we are always striving to be cutting edge and up-to-date with the latest technology to ensure that our customers get the best products possible. We are often conducting trials on new biological control products and trying new quality control tests. We are subscribed to many peer-reviewed research journals and are always looking for new and inventive rearing strategies, handling protocols, shipping containers, etc., while also reviewing any positive or negative effects biological agents may have on each other when put into certain situations ad under certain environmental conditions. We work closely with SR&ED and conduct a number of trials in local greenhouses, including trials on novel pests that can be controlled by known biological agents, the efficacy of bio-pesticides and the effects of Bios-Boosters on predatory mites and other beneficial insects.
Pollination
Call today to discuss our greenhouse pollination services.
Training Programs
- IPM Mastery – Greenhouse Pests
- IPM Mastery – Greenhouse Diseases
- IPM Mastery in Medical Cannabis
- Scouting Mastery
- Pest-specific training
- Bio application training
- Biological Quality Assurance Training
IPM Mastery : Greenhouse Pests:
Key Topics:
❖ Greenhouse pests
❖ Plant diseases
❖ Scouting techniques for more efficient pest detection & control
❖ Biologicals – the best application techniques & proper storage, for optimal performance
❖ Population dynamics of pests & biologicals
❖ Integration of different IPM tactics such as pesticides, microbials, beneficial insects, & trapping
❖ Effective pollination
❖ Cleanout strategies to achieve a truly “clean” greenhouse
❖ True value of an IPM Leader
❖ How to provide the right environment for your scout’s success – and the success of your crop
❖ Taking back the lead – becoming an IPM expert
❖ Dynamic bio-control methods to hit each stage of the pest’s life cycle individually
❖ Pepper weevils – minimizing the threat to your pepper crop
❖ Cost savings through more efficient bio-control
❖ Differentiating short vs. long-lived pesticides
❖ Unique aspects of Cannabis IPM – tips from The Buglady
❖ Effective, in-house QC testing methods
❖ Integrating a preventative vs. reactive bio control plan
❖ Recurring hotspots – how to break the cycle
Duration: 5 days
IPM Mastery: Greenhouse Diseases
Description:
Nutrient deficiencies. Bacterial canker. Powdery and downy mildew, viruses and diseases – these things are attacking your plants and they JUST WON’T QUIT! Come join us for a game-changing course on plant health and learn all the best techniques to not only combat these costly nuisances, but also to start out with a proactive plan to keep your crop green and strong, all season long!
Scouting Mastery
Description:
Finding a good scout is hard. Let us ease the burden – send us your scouts (or potential scouts) and we’ll educate them on all things IPM, helping them develop into the IPM team your farm needs! Go a step above – have them train with professionals. Both new and experienced scouts are welcome. Whether they have 3 years experience or 3 days, we will go to work enhancing their skillset. We will not only teach them to identify, record and treat common and rare insect pests; we will give them all of our very best scouting techniques to help them rise to their full potential and improve their efficiency/productivity up to 3 times!
Pest-specific Training
(on site, available on request)
Is your scout having trouble identifying small new spidermite spots? Are they missing mildew on lower leaves? Is Botrytis killing the whole plant before it’s brought to your attention? Even the best scouts have weaknesses – give us a call and book your mini training session.We can give them tips and tools to train their eyes and minds to any of the above and so much more, ensuring that you are get all the information you need to make the best, most accurate decisions for your crop!
Bio Application Training
(on site, available on request)
So, you’ve made the decision to use beneficial insects in your greenhouse – congratulations! This is a huge leap in the right direction. But you’re having trouble getting your bios established properly, or maybe you’re just not sure how to use a product you’ve purchased or are considering purchasing. Our staff is just a click or call away, we can help out at your convenience – whether that means explaining it via phone or email, using pictures and videos, or coming right to your door to demonstrate! Book your mini training session and we will show your team the most effective AND cost-efficient ways to apply the bios your farm has spent its hard-earned cash on.
Biological Quality Assurance Training
(on site, available on request)
You’ve bought your beneficial insects – but how do you know they are in optimal condition? Will you pay dearly for a bottle of Persimilis, dump it out onto a spidermite hotspot, and fail to see any results? While Crop Defenders takes all measures to deliver you the freshest biologicals possible, don’t take our word for it – learn how to check the quality yourself, before the product even enters the greenhouse. Click or call now for your mini session on quality testing any of our products. Be in the know.
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