Biobest.be

Cultivos

Poinsettia

Pests in poinsettia

General

Whitefly

Thrips

Glasshouse sciarids

General remarks on the biological control in poinsettia

	Before using the advised selective chemicals, check if they are registered for this crop in your country.
	It is recommended to start in a greenhouse free of pests.
	Before introducing beneficials, the greenhouse and plants should be free of harmful pesticide residues.
	Yellow and/or blue sticky cards can be used preventively for the detection of flying insects.
	In case of doubt about the side effects of any pesticides, consult the Biobest list of "Side effects of Pesticides on Beneficial Organisms".

Biological control of whitefly

	(greenhouse whitefly - Trialeurodes vaporariorum)
	(sweet potato whitefly - Bemisia tabaci)

Encarsia-System (parasitic wasp - Encarsia formosa)

	Available as sprinkling material and on cards.
	Introduce 6 Encarsia formosa/m² per week.
	In case of parasitation: introduce up to 9 Encarsia/m² per week.
	Corrections: Buprofezin (Applaud), Pyriproxifen (Admiral, Juvinal, ...), Teflubenzuron (Nomolt, Dart), Imidacloprid (Confidor, Admire)
	Scouting: Hang up yellow sticky cards for catching the first whiteflies (1 sticky plate/100 m²). Count the whiteflies on the sticky cards weekly and register these data. Take leave samples in each "hot spot" (25 leaves/"hot spot") to count the percentage of larvae killed by Encarsia formosa (overkill).

Biological control of thrips

	(western flower thrips - Frankliniella occidentalis)
	(onion thrips - Thrips tabaci)

Amblyseius-System (predatory mite - Amblyseius cucumeris)

	The sensitivity to thrips depends on the species.
	Hang up yellow and blue sticky traps to spot the thrips.
	Introduce if necessary Amblyseius ccucumeris after having consulted your technical advisor .

Biological control of glasshouse sciarids

(glasshouse sciarid - Sciara spp.)

Steinernema-System (insect parasitic nematodes - Steinernema feltiae)

Apply 10 days after cutting or potting 500.000 nematodes/m². Repeat after 4-5 weeks if necessary.

Hypoaspis-System (predatory mite - Hypoaspis miles)

	For the production of cutting material, it is advised to treat the mother plants not only with Steinernema-System, but also with Hypoaspis miles.
	Dose: at least 250 Hypoaspis/m².