search.noResults

search.searching

dataCollection.invalidEmail
note.createNoteMessage

search.noResults

search.searching

orderForm.title

orderForm.productCode
orderForm.description
orderForm.quantity
orderForm.itemPrice
orderForm.price
orderForm.totalPrice
orderForm.deliveryDetails.billingAddress
orderForm.deliveryDetails.deliveryAddress
orderForm.noItems
20


COUNTRY LIFE IN BC • MAY 2019 Biological controls for pests in demand


Berry, fruit farmers placing bets on wasps as chemical options shrink assessing the wasp’s suitability for release in Canada against BMSB, it was found alive and well and killing stink bugs in Chilliwack, pre-empting the need for a regulatory review of its effects. “It still remains to be seen


by PETER MITHAM CHILLIWACK – With


traditional chemical pesticides under regular review and no new chemistries coming into play, the quest to control pests is taking a wild turn – literally.


This spring brought some of the most promising news growers facing Brown Marmorated Stink Bug (BMSB) have heard: a natural predator, samurai wasp, has tracked it down in Canada. “There are several studies


showing that between 60% and 90% of the stink bugs eggs are killed by this wasp in China,” researcher Paul Abram of the Agassiz Research and Development Centre told growers attending the Pacific Agriculture Show this winter.


“It lays its egg inside the egg of the stink bug, its egg develops in and bursts out, looking to mate and find more stink bug eggs.” Present in the Lower


Mainland since 2015, BMSB is increasing in numbers both in the Fraser Valley and Kelowna. “Since it was first detected in 2015, there’s been a lot of additional detections up and down the Lower Mainland as well as the Okanagan Valley. We actually stopped counting late in 2018,” Abram tells growers. “We consider the population established all the way from Vancouver to Agassiz, at least. The biggest populations that we know of so far are in Abbotsford and Chilliwack.” Trapping indicates that 2018 numbers were five times


higher than 2017, but no crop damage has been reported to date. It primarily affects fruit crops, though vegetables have also been hit hard. BC provincial entomologist


Tracy Hueppelsheuser considers blueberries at “moderate risk” from BMSB, while tree fruit growers in the Okanagan are anxious knowing the significant damage the pest has done to orchard crops in the US Northeast. This makes an effective


control a much sought-after tool. Spraying to control Spotted Wing Drosophila (SWD) may be helping keep BMSB populations in check, but a natural born predator like the samurai wasp would be invaluable. While researchers were


Pesticides in play


Caroline Bedard, minor use coordinator with the BC Ministry of Agriculture, told growers attending the Pacific Agriculture Show in Abbotsford this winter that several pesticides growers have typically used to fight pests have been phased out, including Gramoxone 200SL, which is being reformulated. The old formulation of Gramoxone will no longer be legal as of December 31, 2019, and a replacement won’t be available until 2021. Capture 240 EC, registered for multiple


berry pests, including Spotted Wing Drosophila (SWD) in blueberries, will no


longer be sold as of December 31, 2019. Growers cannot use it after December 31, 2021.


On the plus side, emergency uses are being sought for Malathion and Mako against SWD. Both are under regulatory review at present. Other options include Delegate and Entrust for use in all berries, as well as Exirel for use in blueberries and caneberries. Bedard hopes final approval will be


forthcoming this year for Mako in bushberries as well as Danitol for use in all berries against SWD.


what kind of an impact this is going to have, but it’s generally considered that this wasp is probably going to end up being the main and most common management tool for the stink bug,” says Abram. However, since the wasp is not generally established in Canada, researchers aren’t allowed to aid and abet its establishment. Once circumstances permit the wasp to be relocated, then discussions with the province and industry partners will begin to determine where the wasp should be established with a view to controlling BMSB for the benefit of industry. In the meantime, research


will focus on tracking the wasp’s impact on BMSB and the potential to redistribute the wasps to accelerate its establishment. “This is something that


Fast and easy to use, TUBE-LINE’s Dispatch system makes final bale push off a thing of ease. Incorporating our proprietary FILM SNAP sytem the final bale can be pushed off without stopping the wrapper to cut the wrap.


For a limited time, purchase any TL50, TLR 5000, TL60 or TL 6000 Inline BaleWrapper from an authorized dealer and receive the optional Bale Dispatch Arm at no charge.


hasn’t become a huge problem in berry production, but I think it’s something to be aware of,” says Abram. Wasps are also a potential tool against SWD, but release is several years away. While there are native wasp species that will prey on native drosophila species, they don’t touch SWD larvae. By contrast, parasitic wasps native to Asia successfully kill 76% of the fly’s larvae. “There’s two that seem to be the best candidates because they seem to be


really specific to Spotted Wing Drosophila,” he says. “They can smell the smell of an infested blueberry compared to a non- infested blueberry and orient towards it. When they find an infested berry, they’re able to land on the surface and find where the Spotted Wing Drosophila is.”


The specific nature of these wasps means they’ve got a good shot at approval, if all other risks seem low. “I don’t want to imply that if


these were introduced to Canada they would be some kind of silver-bullet solution, that they would control Spotted Wing Drosophila 100% in berry fields,” says Abram. “They would probably more help to suppress the populations of the fly in natural habitats and help slow the buildup of the population early in the season.” The result would be that SWD is a smaller problem than it is right now, potentially saving growers money on sprays and other forms of control.


Abram will be working with


UBC professor Julie Kerlow over the next five years to rear the wasps at a breeding facility in Agassiz and make a case for their release against SWD. “Depending on what’s


found with the native Canadian insects and risks that these parasitoids seem to pose, they might download the ability to release these parasitoids into natural habitats,” he says. However, by that time, other pests may have arrived. “Unfortunately, these


invasive pests keep coming,” he says.


Irrigation Pipe | Traveling Gun/Hose Reels Pivots | Pumps | Power Units


Call for a quote on Irrigation Design and our current inventory of new & used Irrigation Equipment.


Several used 1,200ft pivots & used hose reels available now.


TALK TO BROCK 250.319.3044 Dynamic Irrigation


beyedynamic@gmail.com


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48