Pear growers surveyed on BIOLOGICAL CONTROL

摘要

Barriers to adopting biological control practices include perceived ineffectiveness, lack of adequate knowledge, and high cost. However, growers who use them find that their input costs and pesticide use decline. Implementing stable biological controlprograms requires growers and pest managers to have a much better understanding of management actions against not only pests, but also their natural enemies. Sound management strategies must consider the phenology of both pests and natural enemies, butalso optimal timing of management activities and selection of pesticides to result in maximum suppression of the pest, while minimizing the effects on natural enemies.