ElO-Grower & Marketer, Lancaster Farming, Saturday, February 1,2003
Growers Share IPM Experiences At New Holland Vegetable Day
DAVE LEFEVER
Lancaster Farming Staff
NEW HOLLAND (Lancaster
Co.) Three greenhouse tomato
growers from the New Holland
area reported good results using
biological controls to control to
mato pests, particularly aphids
and spider mites. The panel
spoke at the recent New Holland
Vegetable Day at Yoder’s restau
rant.
Amos Sauder, Kenny Sauder,
and Moses Sensenig reported
similar success using predatory
mites to control spider mites, as
well as an aphid predator to con
trol aphids.
The pest control methods are
part of ap integrated pest man
agement '(IPM) program being
promoted in the area by Cathy
Thomas, an IPM specialist with
the Pennsylvania Department of
Agriculture.
IPM involves regular monitor
ing of insects by using “sticky
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Calendar
Sunday, February 2
Shade Tree Symposium, Lancaster Host Resort,
thru Feb. 4.
Monday, Fobmaty 3 |
North American Farmers’ Direct Marketing Con
ference and Trade Show, Adams Mark, Char
lotte, N.C., thru Feb. 10, (413) 5294386.
Capitol Area Turf and Ornamental Winter School,
Holiday Inn, Grantville, 8 a.m.-3:10 p.m.
Mid-Atlantic Fruit and Vegetable Conference and
etable Growers’ Association, Monarch Suites,
Hershey Lodge and Convention Center, Her
New Grape Growers Workshop, Howard County
Fairgrounds, Friendship, Md., (301) 432-2767,
ext. 315.
North American Farmers’ Direct Marketing Con
Mid-Adantfc Winter Brambles Conference, Holiday
Inn, Leesburg, Vs., thruFeb. 8,(703) 737-8978.
**»■■ j(S I) tK.
Soil Standards for Planting Trees and Shrubs Con-
ference, Pleasant Acres Annex, York, 8:45 a.m.-4
Cambria and Somerset Regional Vegetable and Po
tato Meeting, Ebeosburg, (814) 472-7986.
“Strategies for a Thriving Farm Business,” Willow
Farm Business Plan, Northampton County Exten
sion Office meeting room, Nazareth, 9 a.m.-3:30
Virginia Vineyard Association Technical Confer-
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cards” which are hung at various
location in the greenhouse to at
tract pests and are used to esti
mate pest populations.
“Sticky cards are extremely
useful for scouting insects,” said
Keriny Sauder.
AO three growers agreed that
the predatory controls worked
best before pest populations get
too large.
For example, “If you have a
big problem (with spider mites),
you won’t get rid of them with
predators,” Sauder noted.
Hie group agreed that chemi
cals may he
required in
cases where
pest popula
tions are high.
The panel
pointed out
some of the
other factors
that need to
be managed
New Holland-area greenhouse tomato growers, from left, Amos Saucier, Kenny Sauder, and
Moses Sensenig share their successes and challenges In using biologioal agents to control
aphids and spider mites. The panel was part of the New Holland Vegetable Day at Yoder’s Res
taurant Jan. 20.
in order to reduce insect and dis
ease pressure in the greenhouse.
These include controlling weeds
which harbor pests and
maintaining a well-ventilated
greenhouse with low humidity.
Thomas said she is planning to
expand the IPM program for
controlling greenhouse pests, as
well as pests in outdoor vegetable
crops.
“We have so many tools to use
today,” Thomas said. “It’s a
whole integrated package.
Other IPM options include
using nematodes to control fun
gus gnats. Predators are also
available for whiteflies and
thrips.
Thomas also pointed out that
some recently introduced chemi
cals on the market are more com
patible with the biological con
trols.
The three growers also employ
bumblebees to pollinate their to
mato crop. This saves labor and
can improve pollination rates,
according to panel members.
The bumblebees “know when
to do it and they do it right,”
Moses Sensenig said.
A hive of bumblebees remains
viable for about eight weeks.
They can custom-ordered to
match the size of the greenhouse.
The bees require caution be
cause they are susceptible to vari
ous pesticides, the panel pointed
out.
“You want to watch your
chemicals (when using bumble
bees),” Amos Sauder said.
For more information, contact
Cathy Thomas at (717) 705-5857.