DPR OFFERING NEW GUIDE TO
SUPPLIERS OF "GOOD BUGS" FOR FARMS AND GARDENS
SACRAMENTO -- Free copies of the 1997 edition of "Suppliers of Beneficial
Organisms in North America" are now available from Cal/EPA's Department of
Pesticide Regulation (DPR). Listed are commercial sources for the "good
bugs" or beneficial organisms that kill or otherwise help control farm and
garden pests.
The booklet is an invaluable resource for finding places to buy
biological controls to use as alternative or supplementary pest controls
for insect, mite, snail or weed pests. Biological controls are an integral
part of integrated pest management (IPM). IPM programs include several
components such as pest monitoring and cultural controls as well as the
judicious use of pesticides.
"DPR has a wide-ranging program to encourage the development and
use of reduced-risk pest management techniques," said Peter Rooney,
Secretary for Environmental Protection. "DPR's efforts are part of a
broader Cal/EPA objective to encourage pollution prevention. Our focus is
on economically sound, voluntary prevention efforts aimed at avoiding those
activities that have the potential to create human health and environmental
problems."
"Good bugs" include not only "true" bugs like the spined soldier
bug and the minute pirate bug, but also "bugs" from other insect groups
such as flies, beetles and wasps. Several other types of beneficial
organisms are also listed including mites, nematodes, fish, and a snail
that eats other snails.
With a black ladybug larva on its bright orange cover, the 32-page
booklet lists commercial sources for more than 130 different beneficial
organisms used for biological control of pests. There are 142 suppliers
listed including 95 suppliers in the U.S., 14 suppliers in Canada, and 33
suppliers in Mexico.
DPR updates the booklet every two to three years. Almost 25,000
copies of the last edition (1994) were distributed upon request to
residents in almost every state and province in the United States, Canada,
and Mexico, and also to residents in more than 100 other nations.
For more than 16 years, the publication has been a leading source
of information on commercial biological controls. Pest management
specialists, master gardeners, researchers, and university extension
specialists use it, as well as farmers and backyard gardeners. The 1997
edition should be even more helpful with its listing of Web sites that
feature information on biological control and integrated pest management.
The 1997 edition has been produced by DPR with assistance from the
U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Institute of Biological Control,
the Association of Natural Bio-control Producers, and Sanidad Vegetal de
Mexico.
As in past editions, the 1997 edition has two different indexes to
help the reader in finding biological controls for pests. One is an
alphabetical listing by scientific name of all the beneficial organisms
used for biological control that are commercially available in North
America. The other index lists beneficials under 13 different categories
such as, "Predatory Mites," "Aphid Parasites and Predators," and "Parasites
and Predators for Greenhouse Pests."
Biological controls that are single-celled organisms such as
bacteria, fungi, protozoans, and viruses are not listed as they are
registered as pesticides under state and federal law and are widely
available.
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