Continuing the Drone & IPM Conversation: OPMC Launches Its First Winter Webinar
- ontariopmc
- 6 days ago
- 2 min read
Pest control in large-acre organic crop systems faces a major challenge: how to apply natural enemies evenly and efficiently across vast fields. Traditional methods require significant labor to release these beneficial insects or predators, which limits their use. To address this, growers in Washington State have started using drones to distribute pest predators in organic apple orchards. This new approach could transform integrated pest management (IPM) by making biocontrol more practical and scalable.
The Ontario Pest Management Conference is excited to announce its first Winter Webinar, a FREE event open to all interested in the latest advances in pest control. The webinar features Dr. Rebecca Schmidt-Jeffris, Research Entomologist from the US Department of Agriculture in Wapato, Washington. She will share insights from her research on drone applications for releasing pest predators, highlighting both the benefits and challenges of this innovative technique.
Learn more about Dr. Schmidt-Jeffris here.
What You Will Learn in the Webinar
It's Raining Bugs! Benefits & Challenges of Deploying Pest Predators By Drone
Dr. Schmidt-Jeffris will explain how drone application helps overcome the labor-intensive nature of biocontrol in large-scale organic orchards.
Key points include:
How drones can deliver natural enemies with more even coverage across crops
The survival rates of pest predators when released by drone compared to manual methods
Best practices for adapting drone releases to orchard environments
Challenges such as ensuring target-site delivery and protecting the often costly natural enemies during flight
Integrated pest management relies on combining multiple tactics to control pests sustainably. Biocontrol, the use of natural enemies like predatory insects, plays a crucial role in reducing pesticide reliance. However, applying these beneficial organisms evenly over large fields has been a barrier to wider adoption.
Drone application offers a promising solution by:
Reducing labor costs and time required for releases
Increasing the precision and consistency of pest predator distribution
Potentially improving pest control outcomes in organic and conventional systems
How to Join the Webinar
This event is free, but registration is required.
To secure your spot, register here: Ontario Pest Management Conference Winter Webinar Registration. After registering, you will receive a link to join the Zoom webinar.
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