It is our goal, through Integrated Pest Management, to produce the highest quality seedlings possible without the use of pesticides and without compromising the requirements of our clients for seedlings which have the best survival and performance potential.

We use the following approaches in working towards our goal:

• Cleaning and disinfecting the greenhouses and growing containers after use to reduce the carryover and buildup of any pest population.
• Providing a sufficient oversow of seedlings to provide a tolerance level of pest damage before considering the use of natural or synthetic controls.
• Understanding the life cycle of each pest, the environmental conditions which encourage pest development, and the appropriate timing for effective control with minimum treatment.
• Balancing the growth required to achieve contractual specifications with the development of resistance to disease, where conflicts exist.
• Maintaining environmental conditions which discourage the development of pests, to the extent that environmental conditions can be controlled.
• Maintaining a relatively stress free growing environment where possible, and providing progressive conditioning during changes in growth patterns to reduce the susceptibility of the seedlings to pests.
• Keeping the number of weeds in the crop and around the nursery to a minimum to reduce the number of areas where pests can overwinter or hide.
• Monitoring accumulated heat units to better predict the emergence of insect pests.
• Maintaining a scouting program which monitors for, and identifies, the level of any specific pest population prior to considering the use of any natural or synthetic controls.
• Regularly removing unhealthy seedlings to reduce the number of susceptible seedlings on which pests can feed or develop.
• Using biological controls, such as predator insects and/or other organisms, where these have been proven to be effective, where a low human hazard has been established, and where the conditions for use are suitable for effective control of the pest.
• Providing appropriate environmental conditions and stock handling procedures in cold storage to prevent the development of disease.

Where the use of pesticides becomes necessary, we use the following approaches:

• Using pesticide baits wherever possible to avoid treating seedlings with pesticide.
• Using the least hazardous effective pesticide available, particularly to humans, but also considering all non-target organisms.
• Alternating the use of pesticides to reduce the risk of developing resistance in any specific pest to any one pesticide, which could result in the need to use increasing concentrations of pesticide to achieve effective control.

Integrated Pest Management

From the Nursery Crop Production Guide, produced by the Province of British Columbia, Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food

Integrated pest management is a decision-making process that uses all necessary techniques to suppress pests effectively, economically, and in an environmentally sound manner. The elements of integrated pest management include:

• Planning and managing ecosystems to prevent organisms from becoming pests.
• Identifying potential pest organisms.
• Monitoring populations of pests and beneficial organisms, pest damage, and environmental conditions.
• Using injury thresholds in making treatment decisions.
• Reducing pest populations to acceptable levels using strategies that may include a combination of biological, cultural, mechanical, behavioral and, where necessary, chemical controls.
• Evaluating the effects and efficacy of pest management practices.