tually become of interest over 

 time, if for nothing else than to be 

 listed, just like the phone book. 

 Like my grandfather's fax machine, 

 though, one needs to be mindful 

 of why, exactly, they're taking the 

 time and making the investment in 

 the technology. 



Most can not even fathom the 

 impact that the next advances for 

 the Internet will have on each of 

 us. Higher speeds, better tools. 



more electronic commerce, auto- 

 mated delivery of information, 

 "smart " software agents, and yes, 

 fraud and the "dark side" will all 

 become part of our desktop pro- 

 ductivity (or time-wasting) tools. 

 Making the most of them and de- 

 termining how, exactly, the 

 Internet can improve your bottom 

 line, is the holy grail that some 

 are finding, others are looking for, 

 and many have not even contem- 



plated. Don't simply use the 

 Internet because everyone else is; 

 have a plan and purpose to use it 

 to your advantage. Once these are 

 in place, the up-front investment 

 is well worth the effort. 



David Brock is president of 

 horticulture. corn, serving the 

 industry since I99S- ^^ '^^^^ manages 

 Fuller System, a smoke fumigant 

 manufacturer. He can he reached at 

 Brock@horticulture.com. 



ASK THE GREEN SPOT 



Q 



What is the specificity of the commercially produced predatory insects? Are there "broad spectrum" 

 predators? (submitted by a southern NH greenhouse growler) 



A: I recently read a catalog which was offering parasitic nematodes, ladybugs, lacewings, 

 Trichogramma spp. parasitic wasps, and praying mantis egg cases. According to the copy, the organ- 

 isms above are capable of controlling all your garden pests. 



Simply put, this is false advertising. Parasitic nematodes are capable of impacting over 2.00 pests 

 ^vhich spend all or part of their lives in the soil. Ladybugs are very effective aphid predators. So are 

 lacewings, except that they can also impact whiteflies and the immature stages of certain scale species, 

 like long-tailed mealybugs. Trichogramma spp. wasps are useful in reducing moth and butterfly larvae 

 numbers by parasitizing the pests' eggs before they hatch. And mantids...well, they are more or less a 

 novelty which can symbolize biocontrol. This leaves spider mites, thrips, most scale species, fungus 

 gnats, leafminers, and whiteflies to run rampant. 



The catalog of ivhich I write (actually, I've seen several which make these outrageous claims) says 

 that mantids, ladybugs, and lacew^ings can cure all these unaccountable ills. This just isn't true. Lady- 

 bugs and lacewings may nibble at pests other than aphids, but to expect control is another matter al- 

 together. So, to answer the question directly: no, there are no broad-spectrum predators; they are all 

 fairly specific. 



To be more accurate, these misleading catalogs should state that these predators are fairly opportu- 

 nistic (many predators are like that). Release an aphid predator on mites and it may eat a few before 

 it flies away looking for aphids. A lacewing may eat a number of whitefly larvae before it pupates. 

 When it emerges as an adult, though, it will fly away to look for aphids. For these copy-writers to 

 claim that mantids eat aphids, thrips, mites, whitefiies, and more is an absolute scam. 



Biocontrol agents work very -well for most of our customers. They are not limited in their selection 

 to only the falsely touted "general predators" of the superbug set. We might eat a fast-food burger 

 now and then, but everyday?! What do you think we are — broad-spectrum predators? 



Have a question for The Green Spot? Submit it in writing to The Green Spot, Ltd., Published Q&A, 

 93 Priest Road, Nottingham. NH 03290-6204. Or you can fax us (603-942-8932), send it by e-mail 

 (Info@GreenMethods.com), or simply call us at 603-942-892^. If using e-mail or fax, please put "Pub- 

 lished QdrA" on the subject line. Always provide your name and phone number in case we need clari- 

 fication. All questions will be answered. Written consultation by means other than through this column 

 is considered a billable service. Call for details. 



14 



The Plantsman 



