1. Biological controls By Jen H. and Amanda P.

2. Biological controls are the use of living organisms to reduce the incidence of pest organisms Delphastuspusillis Encarsiaformosa These are two predatory insects in our tomato bay!

6. It requires more observation and knowledge than traditional pest management techniques

7. Proper pest species identification is critical to success in choosing right biological control

8. Release rate, timing, placement, temperature, and pesticide use affect performance of biological controls

9. Wide varieties of crops make the choice of biological controls more difficult as the numbers of pests increase and vary

10. Biological controls take more time to work than traditional methods

12. Examples of biological controls we use in our greenhouse at Yavapai College Encarsiaformosa– parasitic wasp which feeds on whitefly Delphastuspusillus– small black beetle which also feeds on whitefly Mycostop – a naturally occurring bacteria, creates a defense against Botrytis Guardian – contains nematodes which kill fungus gnats and shore flies BotaniGard – contains fungus that attacks aphids, whitefly, thrips, and spider mites Gnatrol – contains bacteria that kill fungus gnat larvae

14. Comes in the form of dry powder, which can be mixed with water and used as a spray

15. When applied as a drench or a spray, the dried spores and mycelium germinate and begin to grow around the plant’s roots

17. Comes on small sponges, which are soaked in water. Use the water as a spray

18. Used to control fungus gnats but also kills more than 250 different insects

19. Very tough, can survive in the root zone of plants for 60-90 days without a host insect. Covered with a cuticle which makes them resistant to most chemicals, fungicides, insecticides, and environmental conditions

20. Detects insects by either a slight increase in temperature or by release of methane gas, and they can travel about 1” per hour to seek out insect hosts

22. Comes in the form of a dry powder, which can be mixed as a spray

23. Known by growers to control aphids, whitefly, thrips, mealybugs, and spider mites

24. Spores attach to the insect, forming an enzyme which dissolves the insect’s cuticle. The fungus germinates and invades the insect’s body

26. The bacteria disable fungus gnat larvae by paralysis. The gnat larvae then stop feeding on the plant and die, usually within 24 hours

27. The bacteria does not kill adult fungus gnats

29. Commercial use began in Europe in the 1920s

30. small (~ 0.6mm in length), have a black head and thorax and yellow abdomen. Males are rare and dark in color.

31. endoparasitoid that matures 8-10 eggs per day

33. They are about 1/8" diameter and will disappear into the plant canopy very quickly.

34. They are recommended for moderate to heavy infestations (10 - 15 whitefly larvae per leaf). This small beetle is used to provide control of the greenhouse, sweet potato and silverleaf whitefly.