Your Yearly Explainer of Japanese Beetle Requirements: Get Those Treatments on Before May 15!

For those of you planning on shipping ornamental products out of Ontario anytime between May 15 and June 15, this is your yearly reminder to get your curative application of Acelepryn on BEFORE May 15! Recall that no pesticides are allowed when Japanese beetle (JB) pupae are present (generally, May 15-June 15 in Ontario). So, if you haven’t already curatively treated your plants that are about to go out the door (either after Aug 15 in 2024 or before May 15 2025) they may not meet shipping requirements.

For more details, check our our updated infographic for JB control products and timing to know what to apply when. Not sure if you need to treat for JB or not? This post also contains a decision tree and a quick reference table for applicable JB programs when shipping outside Ontario.

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In Case You Missed It: “Scouting your Ornamental Crops like a Pro” Webinar is Now Up!

If scouting has been a challenge for you or your employees in the past, you’re a new IPM scout, or you feel like you could use a refresher, then this webinar is for you!

This recorded webinar is applicable to garden retail centres as well as ornamental and some nursery crop producers. I cover topics such as how best to spend your time, tools of the trade, what data you should be recording, as well as tips and tricks from the pros!

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In Case you Missed it: UofF Webinar on Latest Thrips parvispinus Research

On March 12th, 2025, Dr. Alexandra Revynthi’s lab (University of Florida) gave an amazing update on what they’ve been working on with regards to Thrips parvispinus. A lot of this was important basic knowledge about their biology, such as development time and survival at high temperatures. There were also quite a few lab and small greenhouse trials looking at potential biocontrol agents.

Some of this will be information we build on to create effective IPM programs for Parvi in the future. But some of these findings, you could put into use right now.

You can go watch the full webinar using the link in the full blog post, or read my summary notes and see what I thought were the important take-aways.

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Introducing OMAFA’s New Floriculture Production Specialist (Permanent)

*Kathryn Russell, the new Greenhouse Floriculture Specialist at OMAFA.*

I’m thrilled to announce that Kathryn Russell will be joining me as my partner in crime as OMAFA’s new Greenhouse Floriculture Specialist.

She will be handling all things related to ornamental production, including nutrients, lighting, substrates, and the greater greenhouse environment. She will also be contributing to policy and programming behind the scenes.

(We hope to start a quarterly newsletter soon, to help growers in Ontario understand exactly what it is we do for you, whether we are in your greenhouse or not!)

Read on for more information about Kathryn’s experience and how to get in touch with her!

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In Case you Missed it: a Demo of Ontario’s Crop Protection Hub

Still unfamiliar with Ontario’s Crop Protection Hub (fondly referred to as “Crop Hub”) and want to know more about it? This recorded webinar tells you everything you need to know.

In this video, we’ll walk you through examples on how to:

Look up products for specific pests
Compare efficacies of pesticides and fungicides for Ontario pests
Look up compatibility of chemical products with natural enemies
Print out lists of products for a specific IPM plan

Continue to the full blog post to watch the embedded video now, or go to https://youtu.be/v2SeHnd9qY0!

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Aphicide Awareness: Reports of Phytotoxicity on Ornamentals

After my previous post outlining how Ontario growers may be experiencing resistance to Beleaf (flonicamid), several growers are experimenting with alternate aphicides (chemicals that control aphids) this spring. These growers tested products on small batches of crops at high rates, to look for phytotoxicity, and have passed on their results to share with the rest of you.

Keep reading to see which products are affecting which crops, and how you can help mitigate issues with phytotoxicity from insecticides.

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Managing Million Bells: 2025 Updates

It’s that time of year again, when Million Bells (Calibrachoa) are being started in the greenhouse.

This post will discuss common insect and disease pests, such as aphids, thrips and black root rot and viruses.

Stay tuned for an upcoming post about production tips and tricks for this popular spring favourite.

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Is Beleaf Still Working for Aphid Control? What We Know So Far and Alternative Chemicals for Spring 2025.

For those of you relying on chemical control for aphids in spring crops, some of you might have observed that Beleaf (Aria in the U.S.) has not been working as well recently, especially in green peach aphid (Myzus persicae).

This post will fill you in on what we know about potential resistance to flonicamid in aphids, and which chemicals are working.

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Updates on Fungus Gnat Control in Greenhouse Ornamentals 2024

Fungus gnats and shoreflies will always be a nuisance in greenhouse crops and, at high levels, potentially damage roots and transmit certain plant pathogens. Recently, key pesticides for these pest have been lost, either through de-registration or via production decisions from manufacturers. Read on to see options for controlling fungus gnats in greenhouse crops.

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In Case You Missed It: Webinar on Predator-Prey Interactions – Secrets of Thrips Biocontrol

In case you’re not in the know, Greenhouse Product News (GPN) Magazine has a great plant health webinar series (sign up for it using this link!). This month, I recorded a webinar for them taking a deep dive into predator-prey interactions between thrips and their natural enemies.

If you’ve ever wondered why IPM specialists like myself recommend multiple biocontrol agents at once for optimal thrips control, or why rates of natural enemies need to be so high, then this webinar is for you.

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