Biological Pest Control

Pesticide Use & Environmental Impact

Thanks to the increasing awareness about environmental issues, groups and individuals have started taking various initiatives to promote more sustainable life styles. Because of the adverse impact they have on the environment, “hard” pesticides are now being gradually sought to be phased out to make way for more environmentally friendly alternatives, “soft pesticides”.
But pest control, through pesticide use, is often necessary considering the fact that without a measure of control many insects can cause huge damage to crops. Besides,
insects can also affect our quality of life in many different ways. These pests, if not effectively controlled would pose grave public health risks and also create significant negative impacts to the economy. The use of pesticides, as a measure to ensure favorable outcomes, in areas related to food production, public health etc. therefore cannot be discounted.
Pest Control in Hydroponics

In hydroponic cultivation pesticide use is discouraged and often not required. This is because hydroponic crops tend to be more healthy and pest resistant as they are grown under controlled conditions under a precisely regulated nutrient regime. Hydroponics systems mostly use natural preventative measures to control pest and parasite infestations. One of these is companion planting which uses a clever strategy to repel pests by growing plants that produce smells disagreeable to the pests. These plants are grown along with the main crop which is intended to be protected.
But not all bugs are put off by the smell, and at times, other means have to be adopted such as biological insect control. Biological insect control uses predator insects to reduce or destroy infestations. The predator insects consume the harmful, crop damaging species and die out or leave the garden. This is a safe, poison free natural method of pest control. Predator insects are bred commercially for such use and have proved extremely beneficial in pest control. These mostly carnivorous insects do not attack vegetation and being extremely voracious consume bugs on a massive scale daily.
Infestation Control

The best way to keep tabs on infestation, whether in the greenhouse or the grow-room is to carry out physical inspections to check for any pests. This should be done carefully by checking all likely places where pests may be present like leaves, around stems and even the growing medium. If any bugs are detected the next step is to determine the type of insect and the number of plants affected. The strategy to eliminate the pests will depend on the number of bugs and the extent of the infestation.
Proper identification of the type of pest is important as this will determine which predator insect will best get rid of infestation. This can be done with the help of good garden microscopes and standard gardening reference books. Once an infestation is detected and the harmful bug identified, quick release of predatory insects to control the infestation should follow.
It should be noted that the environment has to be maintained to be favorable to the predator insects. Many predatory insects are susceptible to high temperatures; also there should also be an adequate source of water or shelter. The grow room environment will therefore need to be carefully monitored.
Common Predators

The following are some of the predators most commonly used:

Ladybugs (Hippodamia convergens)

Ladybugs are most effective against aphids. Ladybugs need plenty of water, so place a small dish of water in your garden. This will help keep both the ladybugs and the insects close to your plants. Adult ladybugs are orange and black and feed on aphids, mites, scales, thrips, whiteflies and beneficial insect food.
Aphidius Colemani & A. Matricariae (Aphidius colemani & A. matricariae)

These are small black wasp (2-3 mm.) with narrow waist. They have long antennae. They prey on aphids turning them into brown, mummified shells. These predators are most active at temperatures between 18-26C (65-80F).
Praying Mantis (Tenodera aridifolia sinensis)

These are large green or brown insects having fine papery wings. They are shipped as egg cases that take 2-8 weeks to hatch. These general predators prey on aphids, beetles, caterpillars, leafhoppers, hornworms, squash bugs, white flies and several other pests.
Lacewings (Chrysoperla carnea, C. comanche & C. rufilabris)

These are general predators that feast on mealybugs, scales, spider mites, thrips, white flies and insect eggs. They are green or brown in color when adults. Lacewings are most active in temperatures 24-28C (75-80F).
Phytoseiulus Persimilis, New Zealand – (Phytoseiulus persimilis)- New Zealand Strain

These are bright orange mites (0.5 mm./1/20 in.), and are very effective against spider mites. They breed twice as fast as spider mite to make short work of any spider mite infestation. They do not form webs, but move along the plant using webbing to catch spider mite. These predatory insects are most active in temperature ranges 22-35C (72-100F) and 60-80% humidity.

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Diana
Writes about indoor gardening.