Dietrick/Whitehurst: Managing Your “Undercover Agents” — Biological Control by Natural Enemies in Greenhouse and High Tunnels

Jan Dietrick and Ron Whitehurst will discuss how to achieve biological pest control in greenhouses and high tunnels. They teach successful protocols developed and tested for controlling common horticultural pests. They will cover considerations to transition from chemical to biological control. Learn how to monitor pests and beneficials and research products and solutions, including release rates, environmental conditions and comparative costs of control programs. Gain an understanding of ways to boost internal resistance to pests through increased plant health, integrate low-risk pesticides if needed, and obtain and release quality biocontrol agents. Constructing a thoughtful, integrated program pest control management can be both easy to manage and cost effective for the grower.

Jan Dietrick continues the life work of her visionary father, legendary entomologist Everett (Deke) Dietrick, through the beneficial insect supplier Rincon-Vitova Insectaries and the non-profit Dietrick Institute for Applied Insect Ecology. She manages a team of 16 employees and interns behind a mission to promote biological control by natural enemies with an emphasis on mentoring women and training farm workers. She continues to improve the D-Vac Vacuum Insect Net invented by her father. She is ready to launch an upgraded website providing easy access to successful programs for biological and organic pest control. She is active politically in issues surrounding climate change and GMO labeling.

Ron Whitehurst is a licensed Pest Control Advisor and involved with organic methods for more than 30 years. He began in the 1970's helping organize organic farmers in Central Indiana. His book Reading Weeds as Soil Indicators is a database in progress but still ahead of its time. Along with wife and business partner Jan Dietrick, he consults, leads technical support, develops products, and implements energy efficiency and solar systems for insectary operations. He co-owns Rincon-Vitova Insectaries, the oldest commercial, free-enterprise insectary in the United States, which has been the pioneer for a growing biological control industry since the late 1950s.

(1 hour, 2 minutes, 1 second) Recorded Saturday, December, 14, 2013