Biological Services

A Successful Week at Hort Connections 2024

As the largest horticulture conference and trade show in the Southern Hemisphere, Hort Connections brought together over 4,000 delegates and 200 exhibitors, all buzzing with the latest innovations in the industry. Our booth was alive not just with real-life bugs, but also with discussions on how Biological Services can help growers achieve better pest control across various crops. We chatted about the newest IPM-friendly chemicals and even shared stories about our favorite bugs.

The gala dinner was a true highlight, filled with delicious food, laughter, and good conversations.

Thank you to everyone who visited our booth and shared in the excitement.

We are thrilled to announce that our very own Anita Marquart won the prestigious "Industry Impact Award” at this year’s AUSVEG SA Premier’s Horticulture Industry Awards for Excellence! 🌟

Anita was nominated for her innovative work in developing improved IPM responses to control pesticide-resistant whiteflies in greenhouse tomatoes. She pioneered the use of alternative feeding supplements for predator establishment, & a novel banker plant system for the whitefly predator Nesidiocoris (a first for Australia!). This resulted in increased whitefly control for growers that struggled a lot with high populations of pesticide-resistant whiteflies in the previous season.

We’d like to thank AUSVEG SA and the sponsors for organizing a great event. “Nothing happens by itself,” says Anita. “I’d like to thank our growers who assisted with implementing the new procedures, and the team at Biological Services for their support.” Biological Services director Lachlan Chilman agrees, “This is a well-deserved honour. Her hard work and dedication to sustainable pest management is making a significant impact.”

Photo credit: Andrew Beveridge

Last week, our consultant Jake attended the North Coast Grower Field Days, sharing valuable insights on Integrated Pest Management (IPM), pest identification, and monitoring, as well as the benefits of using beneficial insects. Thanks to AUSVEG for having us - we love helping farmers better understand IPM!

𝑇ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝑖𝑠 𝑝𝑎𝑟𝑡 𝑜𝑓 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝐵𝑢𝑖𝑙𝑑𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝐵𝑖𝑜𝑠𝑒𝑐𝑢𝑟𝑖𝑡𝑦 𝐶𝑎𝑝𝑎𝑐𝑖𝑡𝑦 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑅𝑒𝑠𝑖𝑙𝑖𝑒𝑛𝑐𝑒 𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑁𝑆𝑊 𝑉𝑒𝑔𝑒𝑡𝑎𝑏𝑙𝑒 𝐼𝑛𝑑𝑢𝑠𝑡𝑟𝑦 𝑃𝑟𝑜𝑗𝑒𝑐𝑡, 𝑓𝑢𝑛𝑑𝑒𝑑 𝑏𝑦 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝐴𝑢𝑠𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑙𝑖𝑎𝑛 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑁𝑆𝑊 𝐺𝑜𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑛𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡’𝑠 𝑆𝑡𝑜𝑟𝑚 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝐹𝑙𝑜𝑜𝑑 𝐼𝑛𝑑𝑢𝑠𝑡𝑟𝑦 𝑅𝑒𝑐𝑜𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑦 𝑃𝑟𝑜𝑔𝑟𝑎𝑚, 𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ 𝑠𝑢𝑝𝑝𝑜𝑟𝑡 𝑓𝑟𝑜𝑚 𝐴𝑈𝑆𝑉𝐸𝐺 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝐶𝑙𝑒𝑎𝑛 𝐶𝑜𝑎𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑙 𝐶𝑎𝑡𝑐ℎ𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑠 𝑝𝑟𝑜𝑗𝑒𝑐𝑡.

Beyond the intensive field work, our consultants also like to engage with students at universities and industry training events, spreading the word about Integrated Pest Management (IPM). Recently, Bernardo gave talks for horticulture students at the Ironwood Institute and at a plant health course for students at the University of Adelaide. Swipe to see some snapshots from these sessions—we love sharing our passion for sustainable pest solutions!

As the weather cools in some states, we're taking a moment to reconnect and share insights. Stay tuned for more updates; we're excited to be back on social media after a brief hiatus.

🌿Join Our Team! Maintenance/Greenhouse Worker Needed 🌿

Are you passionate about maintaining a thriving environment?
We're seeking a dedicated Maintenance/Greenhouse Worker to join our team at Biological Services in Muchea, WA.

𝐏𝐨𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧: Maintenance/Greenhouse Worker
📍 𝐋𝐨𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧: Muchea, Northam & Wheatbelt WA
🕒 𝐇𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬: Permanent, part-time: 2-4 days per week

As a Maintenance/Greenhouse Worker, you'll play a vital role in ensuring the smooth operation and safety of our insectary.
Your responsibilities will include general maintenance tasks, landscaping, equipment upkeep, and more.

Requirements:
✅ Physically fit with manual handling capabilities
✅ Attention to detail and strong communication skills
✅ Valid Manual Class C Driving License and access to own transport
✅ Ability to work well within a team and adapt to changing responsibilities
✅ Good eyesight and background in agriculture/horticulture advantageous

Note: Australian work rights, Police Check, and adherence to WH&S guidelines are mandatory.

Apply now!

Maintenance/Greenhouse Worker Job in Muchea, Northam & Wheatbelt WA - SEEK Visit our website at biologicalservices.com.au for further information on our company.

Overcoming Whitefly challenges

Virginia, South Australia has been a tough place to grow tomatoes in the last few seasons, with an unusual high Whitefly pressure and many farmers struggling to get control with conventional chemical controls.

Take a look at this tomato crop, planted in winter, in a non-heated glasshouse. Vibrant, healthy plants and a remarkable yield—all achieved without a single chemical spray for Whitefly control, despite the swarming Whiteflies just outside the greenhouse!

Our recipe for success: Nesidiocoris bugs, the whitefly predators, working hand in hand with parasitoid wasps Encarsia and Eretmocerus meticulously protecting the tomatoes from whitefly scale. And a very dedicated grower that believed in us and in our beneficials.

With over 11 years of experience rearing Nesidiocoris in a clean culture untouched by chemicals, we developed great confidence in our beneficials and Whitefly control programs.

Contact us if you want to find out more about reliable Whitefly control in your tomato crops!

Attention Australian growers - we’ve made some changes that will bring exciting global IPM innovations to you, faster!

We’ve promoted 𝐒𝐭𝐞𝐩𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐮𝐬 𝐌𝐚𝐥𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐛𝐞 to the newly created role of IPM Product Development Specialist. He has a PhD in Microbiology and is already working with the overseas team of our strategic partner, Biobest to identify advancements like automated monitoring devices and microbial pest control to introduce to Australia.

And we’ve also promoted 𝐀𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐚 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐪𝐮𝐚𝐫𝐭 to Team Leader for Northern Adelaide Plains. Anita has been part of the SA team for 5 years and we have every confidence that her Agriculture and Entomology/Ecology expertise and experience will continue to be an asset to our South Australian growers.

Congratulations to you both for supporting the being part of the pioneering spirit of Biological Services since we started in 1971.

Read the full story on our website [link in comments].

Biological Services is at the forefront of bringing new solutions to Australian growers, thanks to Biobest’s global research, development, and innovation efforts.

The collaborative effort was strengthened further when Karel Bolckmans (Biobest Chief Technology Officer) and Thierry Lefebvre (Process Improvement Manager Beneficial Insects) recently visited our insectaries in Loxton and Muchea. With more than 50 years of IPM experience between Karel and Thierry, it was an immense privilege for our insectary staff to interact with and exchange ideas with them. “We enjoy sharing our knowledge and experience,” says Karel, “but we also look forward to learning new things from our business partners, and that certainly happened during this visit.”

Thierry oversees the production of more than 20 beneficials at a global scale. “I was impressed with the standard of the work done by James and Lachlan’s teams,” says Thierry. “The quality of the products produced by Biological Services ranks among the best in the Biobest group. Australian customers are in safe hands.”

Learning Tour Success!

Our Muchea Insectary Team had an amazing time visiting Berry Sweet Muchea Strawberry farm for an insightful tour.

Berry Sweet, a true IPM leader, has partnered with Biological Services for an impressive 21 years for IPM monitoring and biocontrols.

This family business is always on the lookout to adopt the latest horticultural methods & technologies and diversify their fruit varieties – the secret to their sweet success today. 🍓

A heartfelt thank you to the Berry Sweet team for their warm welcome and the invaluable exchange of expertise.

Biological Services attended another successful Protected Cropping Australia Conference last week.

It was good to meet our customers, other attendees, and industry stakeholders.
Jake Byrne provided crucial feedback to the industry about the destructive Chilli Thrips outbreak ongoing in Western Australia.

We thank the conference organizers for the arrangements and look forward to the next event.

We can’t wait for this year’s PCA 2023 conference!

We look forward to meeting old friends, industry peers, and new faces. Visit our stand to learn more about the latest developments in the world of Integrated Pest Management (IPM):
• Sachet mite breeding technology - an Australian first!
• Trap-Eye™ - the award-winning automated sticky trap monitoring system from Biobest!
• Biobest Academy – an online IPM learning system, now available to Australian users!

Make sure to visit the Biological Services stand in the exhibition hall, where Jake, Adam, and Stephanus will be available to discuss your IPM needs!

Looking to learn more about bugs and Integrated Pest Management (IPM)? Struggling to find time and resources to train your new team member on bugs and IPM?

Look no further than the Biobest Academy – an online learning portal offering courses developed by leading international IPM specialists. Whether you're new to IPM or an experienced practitioner, the Biobest Academy has the perfect course for you. Enjoy a user-friendly interface, hassle-free learning, and earn certificates upon completion.

Contact your local Biological Services consultant for personalized course recommendations. Visit academy.biobestgroup.com for details. For assistance in setting up a training program, reach out to Dr. Stephanus Malherbe at Biological Services: [email protected].

𝐂𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚 𝐬𝐮𝐜𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐟𝐮𝐥 𝐁𝐢𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐒𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐢𝐜𝐞𝐬 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞!

Last week we gathered all our brilliant Biological Services consultants for an enriching and insightful internal conference.
Throughout the event, our passionate consultants came together to exchange knowledge, learn about new advancements, and strengthen our collective expertise.

During this year's conference in Melbourne, Victoria, we had the privilege of visiting Blackwood Glasshouse Produce, a renowned producer of fresh tomatoes in the region. Our longstanding partnership with Blackwood, spanning over 9 years, is a testament to our successful collaboration and shared commitment to excellence.

It was impressive to see the team's strong dedication to Integrated Pest Management (IPM), particularly demonstrated by owners Andrew Bailey and family, and their greenhouse manager Cash Smith. Their deep understanding and hard work have played a key role in the success of their IPM programs.

Hort Connections 2023 – thank you for an inspiring event!

We are grateful we had the opportunity to exchange knowledge, experience, and new ideas with so many industry members. From growers, agronomists and other industry experts to researchers and exhibitors showcasing new products and innovative solutions. HortConnections had it all in one place!

Thanks to everyone that stopped by at our stand, our valued customers, partners, old friends and new friends and a special shout out to all the young industry members, students and apprentices that showed a keen interest in biological pest control. We loved showing off our beneficial insects and telling you about the benefits of IPM!

Hort Connections is coming to Adelaide!
The biggest horticulture trade show in Australasia - and it’s only one week away.

Come and visit the Biological Services stand and have a chat with us about all things Integrated Pest Management and beneficial insects.

📌 You can find us in the main exhibition hall, stand no 294.

We are looking forward to seeing many familiar faces and to connecting with lots of new people.

It was great to see the vegetable industry in South Australia get together for this year’s AUSVEG SA dinner held at the National Wine Centre of Australia in Adelaide on 17 May 2023.

Biological Services was nominated for two awards, namely the Industry Impact Award and Dr Anita Marquart was nominated for the Researcher of the Year award. We congratulate all the nominees and award winners. Shane Eldridge won the Grower of the Year award. We celebrate our long-standing relationship with Shane and his team from Eldridge Fresh Organics. Finally, we thank Jordan and his team at AUSVEG SA and the sponsors for organizing the event.

Good bug or bad bug? That’s the question!

This year we got a few calls from concerned growers that reported “lots of thrips” in their flowers, but when our IPM consultants came to have a look - they turned out to be no thrips at all.

Springtails are very small, sometimes jumping little creatures that can suddenly appear in large numbers. They are harmless and cause very little damage to plants, don’t transmit any diseases and are usually no reason to worry.

Part of our IPM programs at Biological Services is regularly crop monitoring, so that we always know which bugs we are dealing with. It is important to know the pest and beneficial levels in the crop, so that spray programs can be adjusted accordingly. Contact Biological Services to find out more!

Today's spotlight is on Encarsia, a parasitic wasp used worldwide for the biological control of Greenhouse Whitefly.

Whitefly adults and nymphs cause damage by sucking sap from plants and excreting honeydew which in turn develops into unwanted sooty mould.

The tiny Encarsia wasps lay their eggs inside whitefly nymphs and after several days new adult wasps hatch from the parasitized scales.

Biological Services supplies Encarsia on cardboard tags, that can be easily hung onto the plants. It can be used in all crops attacked by Greenhouse Whitefly. For the best result, Encarsia should be used in conjunction with Eretmocerus and Nesidiocoris.

Whitefly populations were unusually high this spring and summer all over Australia.

Adults resemble little white moths, but the larvae look more like scale insects. Whiteflies are sap-sucking insects that produce honeydew, a sticky substance on which sooty mould can develop.

Whitefly can be a challenge to control due to their multifold resistance against pesticides. Many growers now rely on biological controls to reduce the numbers of Whitefly in their crops.

Biological Services provides a broad range of beneficial insects for Whitefly control such as Nesidiocoris, a voracious predatory bug, parasitoid wasps such as Encarsia and Eretmocerus as well as predatory mites such as Montdorensis and Lailae.

We doubt there's a farmer in Australia who hasn't raised a beer to toast the brilliant work of everyone who puts themselves on the line to keep rural lives and livelihoods safe.

It was a close call for our insectary at Muchea (north of Perth) on the weekend - and we made the news (WATCH: link in comments). Fortunately, our operations survived the bushfire which threatened the area thanks to the fast response of the DFES & local volunteers.

Our heartfelt thanks to our neighbours and the dedicated crew of firefighters on land and in the air for everything you did to protect our homes, businesses, and the environment on Saturday afternoon.

𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲 𝐦𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐏𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐢𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐬 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐓𝐰𝐨-𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐦𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐫𝐚𝐬𝐩𝐛𝐞𝐫𝐫𝐲 𝐜𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐓𝐚𝐬𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐚

Hot and dry conditions have caused Two-spotted mite levels to increase rapidly over the last few weeks, but if released at the right time, it doesn’t take long for Persimilis to gain control.

Contact Biological Services if you want to find out how you can protect your crop from spider mites by recruiting an army of Persimilis.

𝗜𝘁'𝘀 𝗯𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗯𝗶𝗴 𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝗼𝗳 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗴𝗲𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗰𝗹𝗶𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗳𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗱𝘀 𝗮𝗰𝗿𝗼𝘀𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗿𝘆.

Our thoughts are with those contending flood waters at the present time.

We've seen time and again across our 50-year history, the resilience of Australia's growing community. We know how important it is to celebrate with our family and friends, even in challenging times.

So however you spend the coming weeks, we wish you safe and happy times in the company of the people who matter most to you.

See you in 2023.

𝗦𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗼𝗻'𝘀 𝗚𝗿𝗲𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀
𝗝𝗮𝗺𝗲𝘀, 𝗟𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗹𝗮𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗕𝗶𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗴𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗦𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗶𝗰𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗺

Business as usual at Biological Services over the festive season.

We know that Christmas time can get very busy for many of our growers. Our consultants will still be available during the Christmas and New Year’s period and will try their best to hinder the pests from having a Christmas feast in your crop!

Biological Services Christmas excursion

This year’s Christmas function was a special one! Our South Australian insectary and admin team from Loxton jumped onto a bus to visit our consulting team in the Adelaide area and together we went on a little road trip.

First stop was Eldridge Fresh Organic Farms where we looked at greenhouse crops and chased some beneficials in the cucumbers and tomatoes!
Next up was one for the girls – Jong’s flowers, where our bugs help to keep the flowers pretty by controlling mites and thrips.
To finish off we found our beneficials (and a strawberry or two) at the Beerenberg farm, followed by a scrumptious lunch at their restaurant.

Everyone had a fun day in the field, and it was a great opportunity for the consulting team to show off their farms to our admin and insectary team.

𝗗𝗶𝗮𝗺𝗼𝗻𝗱𝗯𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝗺𝗼𝘁𝗵 (also called DBM or cabbage moth) is the most destructive insect pest of brassica crops worldwide. Intensive use of chemical controls in the past has resulted in the moth developing resistance to many insecticides, making it more and more difficult to control.

𝐃𝐢𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰 that using an integrated pest management approach plays a crucial part in avoiding the development of further insecticide resistances? Beneficial insects like Diadegma can help to provide control of DBM grubs. Diadegma is a parasitoid wasp which lays its egg into the developing DBM caterpillar.

ℹ️ Regular crop monitoring to identify DBM thresholds is necessary as well as limiting the use of broad-spectrum insecticides that harm the beneficial insects.

Contact us for more specific information relating to a compatible spraying schedule for grubs and other pests, that will not affect Diadegma establishment.

Photos: 1) Rhys monitoring brussel sprouts. 2) DBM moth, eggs and small grub. 3) Diadegma wasp.

Fungal diseases are on the move!

La Niña is bringing above average rainfall this spring, leading to unusually high humidity in field grown crops and in many greenhouses. Fluctuating humidity and sudden temperature changes favour a range of fungal diseases. Gray mold (botrytis) is one of the most widespread humidity related problems.

We recommend early preventative fungicide sprays, as the first infections can’t be seen with the naked eye. Make sure to spray the right fungicide at the right time, as some chemicals can interfere with the development of beneficial insects.

Talk to your Biological Services consultant if you want to learn more about the effects of certain fungicides on beneficial insects.

Boo! 👻 Spooky season is here!

We hope you have released your predatory mites on time so that the spider mites don’t have a chance to put up their Halloween decorations in your crop!

Look at this cutie!

Green lacewings (𝘔𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘢𝘥𝘢 𝘴𝘪𝘨𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘢) are important generalist predators with their larvae feeding on aphids, moth eggs, scales, thrips, mites and all sort of other pests.

Lacewing adults are released in orchards, field crops as well as greenhouses and can distribute their eggs throughout the crops due to their flying abilities. Each adult female can lay up to 400 eggs, laid on stalks near pest hosts for the hungry hatching larvae.

Thanks to BioResources and Biological Services joining forces, lacewings are now available to order. Talk to your consultant about release rates or contact [email protected].