Send an e-mail to David Kuack . IPM specialist Graeme Murphy discusses misconceptions growers have about biological controls, what you should do if you want them to be effective and how to avoid common mistakes. A. Fewer growers have misconceptions about biocontrol now than they did a few years ago. Over the past 10-15 years, a lot has been said and written about using natural enemies in greenhouse flower crops, and as a result, growers are better educated and more informed about their use. However, I still hear some of the traditional objectons to and questions about using biological controls.
Flowers have a zero tolerance for pests and pest damage.
However, for the vast majority of North American growers, there is a tolerable level of pests. There are very few crops leaving a greenhouse that could claim to be totally pest-free, even where pesticides are being used. In greenhouses where pesticide resistance is a problem, zero tolerance of pests is nothing but a memory anyway. To a customer, there is no difference between a good bug and a bad bug. As a general statement this is probably true, but I have never seen or heard of a documented instance of product being rejected because of the presence of beneficials.