Keep Your Eyes Peeled In starting a biologically integrated system, you may need to modify some equipment or purchase beneficial insects, but your most important tool is careful observation. A regular program of monitoring populations of pests and beneficials, as well as observing the health of the cover crop and the almond trees, should be put into place. At the same time, it is important to interpret the interplay among various components, rather than looking at any one part in isolation. For example, biological farmer Bob Lambrix recounts hopping off his tractor to take a break from mowing the cover crop in preparation for harvest. This added to his understanding of the effects of mowing not only on the floor condition, but also as a factor in pest management.
Systematic observation is used mostly to monitor changes in pest and beneficial insects populations.
This way, the manager knows when pest populations have reached an economic threshold and if any sprays will be necessary. With a good monitoring and observation system, the farmer will also be well prepared to choose a spray that is least disruptive to the overall health of the orchard. This fourth principle is more about mindset than any particular technique. Biological growers have found that with careful management, they can sometimes trust nature to do the work that they used to do from the seat of a tractor. But almost all of the farmers participating have eliminated dormant sprays and significantly cut back on other chemical pest control.