Newswise — The Plant Growth Facility (PGF) team has spent over a decade developing innovative ways to manage pests without relying heavily on chemical pesticides. One of our most successful efforts has been an Integrated Pest Management (IPM) program built around beneficial arthropods—insects and mites that act as natural predators to common plant pests.
These bugs have had a major impact when it comes to improving sustainability, plant health, and safety for our researchers and PGF team. This blog dives into how the program began, how it’s evolved, and how our new in-house insect rearing program is taking our natural pest management strategies to the next level.
How It Started: A Bold Move Toward Sustainability
More than ten years ago, PGF launched the Beneficial Insect Program with a clear mission: reduce pesticide use across the facility, protect people and the environment, and improve pest control outcomes. Every two weeks, the team performed bulk releases by scattering beneficial insects and mites directly onto soil and plant leaves for broad, thorough coverage.
Some of the original beneficial arthropods that were used include:
Predatory mites like N. cucumeris, S. scimitis, N. californicus, A. swirskii, and P. persimilis, which target thrips, spider mites, and soil-dwelling pests.Parasitic wasps such as Orius insidiosus, Eretmocerus eremicus, Encarsia formosa, and Aphidius colemani, which help manage aphids, whiteflies, and more.Green lacewing larvae, which are interested in a wide variety of pests and serve as generalist predators
These biological controls dramatically reduced the need for chemical sprays, making the greenhouse a safer place for both plants and people. Since introducing the beneficial insects, we have ceased all application of restricted use pesticides for softer, safer chemicals that are more compatible with our natural predators. PGF’s overall use of pesticides has decreased by 34% since the beneficial insects program began.
How It’s Going: Smarter Strategies, Expanded Arsenal
Over time, PGF’s approach has become even more refined. We have introduced Dalotia, an especially effective beetle that thrives in soil and moves easily between pots. Dalotia offers powerful control of thrips and soil-dwelling pests and is easy to release.
We have also adopted the use of sachets, which are small, self-contained packets filled with beneficial mites. Sachets provide longer-term coverage than bulk releases and keep things cleaner by reducing the mess from carrier materials like vermiculite. Today, sachets are used to deploy N. cucumeris and A. swirskii.
A Homegrown Solution: The Onsite Rearing Program
One of the most exciting recent developments is our in-house rearing program, an idea turned into reality with the support from BioBee, who provided onsite training to our PGF team.
Today, the program is led by Horticulturist Eric Petit with Greenhouse Manager Dan Long advising. It involves constructing custom rearing containers, maintaining optimal breeding conditions like proper temperature and humidity, and performing regular maintenance and timed releases.
The PGF team is currently rearing Dalotia, S. scimitis, and green lacewings, all of which have been proven powerful allies in our pest management strategy.
Why It Matters
Rearing our beneficial insects in-house offers several major advantages:
Consistency: We have a steady supply of predators ready for targeted release when and where they’re needed most.Cost-effectiveness: We’ve significantly reduced the expense of purchasing insects from third-party suppliers.Quality control: Our homegrown bugs are fresher, healthier, and more effective.
“Seeing the evolution of the rearing program from when we first started to now has been my favorite part,” says Horticulturist Eric Petit. “When we first started, we were only focusing on rearing one set at a time. Now, we manage four rounds for each of the three species.”
Looking Ahead
As plant science continues to advance, so does our commitment to sustainability. By investing in biological controls and innovative IPM strategies, we’re protecting our plants and our people—while supporting world-class research that depends on clean, safe growing environments. These tiny predators have been major allies in helping us achieve those goals.