COUNTRY LIFE IN BC • JULY 2019 Sterile moth program heads south of border


Made-in-BC program has reduced codling moth, pesticides in orchards by MYRNA STARK LEADER KELOWNA—The Okanagan-


Kootenay Sterile Insect Release program is marking its 30th anniversary in 2019. The program has reduced codling moth populations by 94% since sterile moths were first released into Okanagan orchards to mate with wild moths in 1991. This year, the program will


release some 12,040 petri dishes a week (totalling about 212 million moths) over 22 weeks in orchards from Osoyoos to Salmon Arm. SIR general manager


Melissa Tesche says weekly monitoring of a network of over 3,400 traps and in-seaon and post-harvest damage surveys all help determine program effectiveness. SIR also monitors growers' pesticide use for codling moth control. “We have some growers


that haven’t had to spray for codling moth in over a decade and many growers who only require one or two applications. Since the program began, the amount of pesticide used against codling moth is estimated to have been reduced by over 90%,” says Tesche, adding it is significantly lower than other major apple growing regions. This year for the first time,


the program is selling about 1,200 petri dishes of moths a week to Washington growers. This follows the results of a pilot project last year to test the effectiveness of SIR across the line. In the last few years, the SIR


program has been trialing the use of drones to help distribute sterile moths but with regulation changes to drone flights that came into effect at the beginning of June, the program decided meeting two sets of drone regulations during the 2019 season would be too complex. They hope to have drones back in the air next year. Current legislation doesn’t


allow the SIR program to work with other pests. “BC Fruit Growers’


Association would like to see the program’s area-wide approach expanded to cover other pests. With the changing climate and increased globalization, we are seeing new pests threatening at our doorstep all the time. Apple clearwing moth has been very tough on growers and is spreading throughout the valley. Brown marmorated stink bug is a potentially devastating agricultural pest but can also be an extreme nuisance for


homeowners and it has now been found up and down the valley and is established near Kelowna’s downtown core, and apple maggot hasn’t established in the valley but it is probably a matter of time,” says Tesche. The SIR board is currently


undertaking a governance review process since the 1989 legislation was never updated to reflect the long-term suppression program and production facility that SIR has evolved into. Teche says seasonal labour is the number one challenge for the facility and for the field program.


“Each season seems to be a little bit tougher to recruit and retain enough staff,” says Tecshe.


Alexandria Jeans, a biology grad working for SIR, dumps about 800 sterile codling moths from their cool- packed petri dish into the moth release device attached to an ATV. [MYRNA STARK LEADER PHOTO]


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OBSOLETE COLLECTION CAMPAIGN OCTOBER 16–18, 2019


BC and Alberta Peace River Region: Got unwanted pesticides or livestock and equine medications?


Farmers: safely dispose of unwanted or obsolete agricultural pesticides and livestock and equine medications – no charge!


October 16–18, 2019


BC: Dawson Creek – Tuesday, October 16 Fort St. John – Wednesday, October 17 Rycroſt – Thursday, October 18


Alberta: St. Isidore – Tuesday, October 16 Falher – Wednesday, October 17 Grand Prairie – Thursday, October 18


For collection site locations and times, go to Cleanfarms.ca – “what to recycle where.”


Cleanfarms collection events will return to Vancouver Island and Fraser Valley Region in fall 2020 and to the Okanagan, Kootenay, and Interior Regions in fall 2021.


PARTNERS


For more information: 1-877-622-4460


cleanfarms.ca


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