Maximizing Performance Of Insect Control Products

There are plenty of new materials out there for controlling insects, but how to implement these chemicals into your pest management program while maintaining long-term profitability can be tricky. There are some tips, however, for getting the most bang for your buck when it comes to insecticides.

John Wise, associate professor of entomology at Michigan State University (MSU), says building seasonal programs that “strategically integrate insecticide tools to optimize performance across the pest spectrum, minimize impact on beneficial organisms, and manage to limit risks for resistance” are your best bet. So, what does all that mean, exactly?

The first step, says Wise, is to determine what your key, direct pests are (codling moth being one example) and build a program around those pests. “In some cases, you may have a single tool that’s a strong tool that you intend to use against a particular generation of that codling moth, but in some cases there’s going to be selection of a number of tools or several tactics you will implement at the same time,” says Wise. “Defining that strategy for the most important pest is typically going to be the first step.”

After that, you should examine your orchard history and current scouting information to address secondary pests. This will help you determine whether or not you need to build additional items into your strategy, Wise says. “In order to make those selections, there’s an advantage to learning as much as you can about the different kinds of tools and what their strengths and weaknesses are so that you can make choices and also find insights into which tools work in a complementary fashion versus which tools may not be complementary in a given program,” Wise says. “So the more knowledgeable you are, the better decision making you’re likely to have.”

So, what resources are there for growers to educate themselves? Wise says all of the land grant universities and their Extension programs are a great place to start. He points out, too, that the crop protection companies now are providing their own newsletters and technical bulletins to inform customers about the tools. In the information age, the Internet is an invaluable resource, too.

Economic Sustainability

Wise is the first to point out that it’s one thing to implement new chemistries into your program, but another thing to do so while maintaining profitability. “By studying these new tools, we have to find some ways to make savings,” he says. “As a general rule, the newer tools, whether those are reduced risk insecticides or pheromones for mating disruption techniques, for the most part, are more expensive than the conventional tools. And therefore, if you use the new tools by simply plugging them into traditional calendar spraying programs, there’s a real question about whether that’s economically sustainable.” He adds that he and other entomologists are working to discover ways growers can capitalize on the new materials.

Recent research focuses on the strengths of certain ovicidal codling moth insecticides, as well as optimal early season application timing, which can actually delay the second application an additional 100 degree days from the traditional second spray. This discovery has the potential to eliminate an entire spray for the first generation of codling moth. It has been tested in multiple university settings with positive results. “But it does take some careful integration by growers in a way that their confidence can be built that this is really a safe and effective strategy,” Wise says. “I think it’s getting some traction, and it may work with some other tools, as well. But it has definitely shown potential for being useful to growers.”