Bumble bees for Pollination

When you think of pollinators, most people think of honeybees, but bumblebees are actually superior pollinators for greenhouse vegetable crops. This is because bumble bees evolved in our northern climate. They are large, furry bees and can work under lower temperatures and light conditions than their honey bee cousins. They are also solitary bees that don’t communicate with each other and are content to forage on the closest source of pollen.  Before farmers could purchase domestic bumblebee hives, they had to hand pollinate their crops with vibrating rods which was time consuming and inefficient. Bumble bees are extremely efficient pollinators and without them, farmers would not be able to produce beautiful tomatoes that are uniform in size, shape and color.

Field Crops

When most people think of biological control, greenhouse pest control comes to mind.  However, there are many field uses of biocontrol in crops such as cranberries, blueberries, strawberries, tunnel raspberries, squash and many others. There are often native biocontrol agents present in field crops and the added pest management strategies of reduced or softer pesticide use and introduction of extra 'good bugs'...

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Municipal

The ever increasing popularity of urban gardens, roof top gardens and public parks, in conjunction with the ban of cosmetic pesticides in many municipalities, sees the increase in awareness of biological solutions for pest control. There are many beneficial treatments for shrubs, trees and turf for these settings. So whether you are part of a maintenance team for a public park or growing your own vegetables in an urban garden, TheBugFactory can assist you in finding the appropriate biological for successful pest control.

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