Biggest Pest Problems

[IPMlabs]

Hey all,

We raise and sell beneficial insects to control pest outbreaks in a variety of markets, and we're trying to re-position ourselves to provide more options for cannabis growers. That said, we were wondering if there are any major pest problems you are having beyond the usual suspects (fungus gnats and spider mites). We'd like to do some more work with raising new types of predatory insects for use specifically in grow operations.

Any input that you have would be greatly appreciated. If you're interested, I'd be happy to chat about what is currently available and any new options that we're trialing.

Peace out and many thanks!
Scott
IPM Labs
315/497.2063

 

[Tead]

I wonder if the Canna market is going to work for your company. While it might work for large commercial implementations, I don't see many folks growing 2 or 3 plants implementing a predatory insect program.
Sure... I might see the occasional grower ordering some ladybugs (or whatever), but it would seem to be a minor side market and probably not a source of revenue worthy of chasing down.
Of course... I'm probably completely wrong in my opinions.

 

[IPMlabs]

I wonder if the Canna market is going to work for your company. While it might work for large commercial implementations, I don't see many folks growing 2 or 3 plants implementing a predatory insect program.
Sure... I might see the occasional grower ordering some ladybugs (or whatever), but it would seem to be a minor side market and probably not a source of revenue worthy of chasing down.
Of course... I'm probably completely wrong in my opinions.

That's a fair point. However, ladybug populations have crashed on account of the drought in CA, so wild-collected ladybugs are going to be coming with a price tag in the future. Which means that those once every so often orders will need to be placed with a specialized company that raises insects in-house. I'm not looking for one big customer. 30 piecemeal orders accomplish the same thing.

 

[Tead]

Interesting.
I assume your chasing other markets as well. I'm really not familiar with the insect market at all.
I'm unable to get a feel for the scale you're using. When you say "piecemeal orders", are your referring to a small single growers ordering a small bucket of ladybugs for somewhere under $15?

 

[IPMlabs]

That's exactly what I'm talking about. Though ladybugs are useful, they are always wild collected. With the drought in CA, ladybugs are increasingly scarce, and the collectors that are out are depleting that population further. I would strongly urge you and other growers to shift to a different predatory insect.

 

[Tead]

I was just using ladybugs as an example... I'm sure there are better bugs to be had.
Anyway.... fun stuff. I wish you much success.
I'm a big fan of such things. Anytime I can avoid using chemicals, I do. As such, any time I see a ladybug in my yard, I scoop it up and put it in my grow shed.
What are the alternatives to ladybugs?

 

[IPMlabs]

We currently operate in a number of other markets, but my push is to make good bugs more of a viable alternative for small-scale growers and homeowners.

As for alternatives to ladybugs, knowing the target pest is important. Predatory mites are great at taking care of spider mite infestations, tons of options are available for aphids (lacewing larvae, predatory wasps, lab-reared lady beetles, etc.), Whitefly and thrips have a few predatory mites and beetles available and so on. For most bug problems, there are bug-centric options. However, if there aren't options available right now, then I want to do something about that.

 

[Tead]

Super!
Best of luck to you, and thanks for the bit of education!

 

[IPMlabs]

You kick ass. Thanks for the chat!