Conrad Bérubé
island crop management
email: uc779(at)freenet.victoria.bc.ca


HOME	publications	IPM info	insect fact sheets	bug artwork, etc.	the insecty-side(comics)	bee stuff	Ghana FtF	bees for babar	other links

Island Crop Management

Consultants in Integrated Pest Management

Our logo is from a stylized linoblock cutting of Hymenopus coronata(Mantodea: Mantidae)

WHO WE ARE:
Island Crop Managementwas established in 1991 through the efforts of Brent Warner (MAFF New Crops Specialist) who implemented a collaboration between the Direct Farm Marketing Board of Vancouver Island and the BC Ministry of Agriculture to assist in the promotion of IPM. Island Crop Managementhas recently been incorporated as a private enterprise owned and operated by:

`Conrad Bérubé`

completed his Masters of Science (Entomology) at the University of California, Davis in 1993 with an emphasis in IPM and apiculture. Has worked extensively as a commercial beekeeper, as a community forestry extensionist, in implementing biological control programs, as an IPM consultant and as an international consultant in apiculture.

Island Crop Managementis committed to the responsible utilization of natural resources, particularly Canada's agricultural base, including monies earmarked for the stewardship of those resources-- which translates to our dedication to delivering a quality product at a competitive price.

WHAT IS IPM:

Integrated pest management (IPM) is a way of thinking about and manipulating crop-lands to control pests in a way that is safe, efficient and economical-- to keep your business competitive and your land productive. Many methods of pest suppression (physical, cultural, biological and chemical) are employed in IPM, which therefore has a wider arsenal of tools than do regimes relying exclusively on either chemical or organic pest control.

WHAT IPM MEANS TO YOU, THE GROWER:

An Island Crop ManagementIPM consultant looks at your farm much in the same way as a physician would give you a check-up for your body. A good doctor wouldn't give drugs to a patient who is healthy; likewise, you don't need to spray crops that aren't "sick".

In most cases, the money saved, by eliminating calendar-based, "insurance" sprays, pays for the cost of an IPM program.
Pest species are less likely to develop resistance to pesticides if sprays are used only when absolutely necessary. This allows conservative use of valuable pesticides, preserving their effectiveness for the future.
IPM results in a healthier, more productive ecosystem by maintaining microorganisms in the soil that help recycle nutrients and by conserving natural enemies that assist in reducing pest problems.
The reduction in pesticides released into the environment makes for good public relations-- which will translate into greater marketability for your produce.

WHAT WE DO:

Island Crop Managementuses the following steps to keep pest damage at an acceptable level:

monitoring: The key to IPM is frequent and regular monitoring (sampling) of the subject crop and its potential pests-- and an intimate knowledge of the life-cycle of those the pest species most likely to threaten your crops.
decision-making: Control measures are warranted only when pest numbers are found to be greater than the economic injury level-- the "break even" point at which losses incurred by pest damage is equal to the cost of applying a control method. Island Crop Managementconsultants are experienced in the principles and practices of IPM including the various thresholds determined for agriculture in B.C.
action: Island Crop Managementpersonnel can assist you by recommending control measures, when they are required. Through the regular monitoring service we provide, control measures can be applied as soon as a problem is detected and when the pest is in its most vulnerable life-stage.
evaluation: Island Crop Managementconsultants re- examine your crops after control methods are completed to ensure that the control was effective.

Fields will be checked from early April until harvest begins. After collecting field data we will provide a written recommendation of control actions (when necessary). The ultimate choice of control method is the decision of the grower.

Diseases and pests monitored (by crop):

POTATOES

early blight
late blight
aphids
loopers and armyworms
climbing cutworms
tuber flea beetle

STRAWBERRIES

root rots
foliar and fruit diseases
lygus bug
mites
aphids

COLE CROPS

aphids
loopers and cutworms
diamond back moths
european cabbage worm
cabbage maggot

CARROTS

carrot rust fly

Fees:

$20/hr of field time
(approximately $60/acre per season)
(+$.40/trap for carrot rust fly traps)
+ GST(or other applicalble tax

Other services:

Additional crops monitored by arrangement.
Beekeeping offered to growers with their own hives (or those interested in purchasing colonies).
Computerized record systems and/or tutoring in computing-for-growers.
Data collection and research provided on-farm for studies of biological control and other alternatives to pesticides, variety trials, fertilizer needs etc.
Entomological services: specimen collection, insect rearing, raw materials for allergen desensitization serum, etc.

For more information contact:
Island Crop Management

email: uc779(at)freenet.victoria.bc.ca


HOME	publications	IPM info	insect fact sheets	bug artwork, etc.	the insecty-side(comics)	bee stuff	Ghana FtF	bees for babar	other links