A Bug Eat Bug World

ladybug-1480102_1280Aquaponics growers cannot aggressively apply pesticides of any type to fight common pests like aphids and caterpillars. Even organic pesticides that can be used on produce are toxic to the fish if sprayed near the water in unsafe dosages.

We follow a rigid Integrated Pest Management protocol (IPM) of cultural, physical, mechanical, and biological controls. We release natural predators weekly during the bug season and bi-weekly in the winter, don’t allow visitors into the greenhouse, aside from current and potential partners, from May to November, and periodically apply small amounts of neem oil to the produce, but never just before harvesting.

By far, our most effective pest management activity is to individually inspect each plant, which we do several times during its growth and twice at harvest time.

Please call or e-mail us if you are interested in the details of our IPM. We are eager to share our experiences and ideas with anyone and everyone.

There may be the odd bug in our produce from time to time, but it will be a clean bug!

Written by cleanfreshfood