Biocontrol – Six-Legged Aggie

Beneficial Insects and BioControl Presentation

Erfan VafaieSeptember 19, 2018March 20, 2020Presentationsbeneficials, Biocontrol, IPM, master gardener, organicLeave a comment

A recent presentation given for the Master Volunteers Entomology Specialty Training in College Station on September 12, 2018. Topics covered include basic introduction to integrated pest management, concepts in biological control, and several commercially available and naturally occurring biological control agents for managing common garden pests.

Download the PDF: Biological Control_MG_2018_handout

Integrated Pest Management of Vegetables in Protected Culture Presentation

Erfan VafaieOctober 31, 2017March 20, 2020Presentationsaphid, beneficial, Biocontrol, IPM, mite, Vegetable and fruit, whiteflyLeave a comment

Presentation delivered on October 31st and November 1st to greenhouse vegetable growers. Aimed specifically for whitefly, aphid, and twospotted spider mite management using biological control and a quick look at insecticide compatibility resources.

Download the PDF presentation

Quality Control of Biological Control

Erfan VafaieJanuary 16, 2015January 21, 2015GrowersBiocontrol, biological control, quality controlLeave a comment

Unlike chemical insecticides, biological control products often contain a living organism. These living organisms are typically reared on artificial diets in controlled environments to sustain a high quality consistent product. However, rearing living organisms is a lot more finicky than mixing chemicals to make a chemical insecticide. The size of the organism, the female to male ratio, their lifespan, and rate of release can all affect the efficacy of the biological control. Although the biocontrol companies do some quality control work on their end, the product may decrease in quality through shipment. That’s why it is encouraged that growers do a quality control check on their biological controls to ensure that they’ve received a quality product.

A research scientist, Dr. Rose Buitenhuis, from the Vineland Research and Innovation Center has put together a nifty publication Continue reading “Quality Control of Biological Control”