Our pest management services include visual monitoring, trapping, evaluation of beneficial insects, and when needed, advise supplemental pesticide applications. These applications of pesticides usually will be the least disruptive to beneficial insects while still providing economical control. Plant nutrition, proper irrigation scheduling also play a huge part in pest management. All of these factors play a part in our decisions, but just as important is our experience with the crop, the area, the orchard, and the grower. Understanding the crop and the client is a huge part of our decision making. Mating Disruption for certain pests can be a huge asset in a diverse IPM program. Properly implemented MD can really help round out a pest management program.
We also provide fire blight updates to our pome fruit clients. These updates help them time their applications of bactericides by forecasting infection periods based on temperature, weather conditions, and crop stage. This service should help slow the resistance problems associated with the products they are using.
We do not refer to ourselves as pest control advisers as we know only too well that the best we can do is manage a pest, not control it. We prefer to refer to ourselves as Pest Management Practitioners, keeping pest issues at a level that is acceptable to allow the crop to reach optimum quality at maturity, this is our goal. Any other promises would be misleading. One hundred percent control is unattainable. There is always a surviving pest somewhere, and those survivors are the ones that usually adapt the best to what is being used against them, thus the need for a complete approach to managing a pest which is what we provide.
About IPM
Integrated Pest Management has been a buzz word for years in the Ag community. Most farming operations are using IPM in some aspect- even in the most disruptive pest management programs IPM can still be used. Factors such as the drought, MRLs, and invasive pests have had a huge effect in regards to IPM.
In the discussion of IPM the first thing that comes to mind is the utilization of bio-control. Trioxy wasp on Walnut Aphid, parasites such as A. mali on Wooly Apple Aphid, and of course general predators such as Ladybird Beetles, Lacewings, thrips, even earwig can be an effective beneficial insect in certain cropping systems.
You can go on the internet and find a plethora of definitions for IPM. We at Devencenzi Ag are practitioners, trying to utilize as many tools as possible to achieve the desired results. Bio-control, pesticide selection and timing, proper nutrition management, proper irrigation management, cultural practices, cover crops, mating disruption are just some of the factors that are considered when implementing an everyday IPM program. One of the biggest factors in a strong IPM program is the individual economic threshold level of each grower and the operation.