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My old colleagues and friends still scratch their heads and laugh at me. Many decades ago I carried a very important key. It opened the door of a triple bay storage shed, stacked with numerous horticultural chemicals. With tireless regularity, I applied these to control the pest and disease organisms which attacked the various plants under my care. One morning, I woke up and said no more. I had been studying the organic approach to insect and disease control quietly for several years, but remained uncertain how to make the necessary changes on the estate. In the end, we agreed to embrace organics with a sink or swim approach. I readily admit this was more than challenging for an initial few seasons. There were several steps to establish a working...

Mealybugs can be a consistent nuisance to the organic orchardist and fruit producer. Being sap suckers, they rarely kill the trees directly but weaken to the point where fruit quality is lowered in addition to increasing general susceptibility to disease and other forms of pest infestation. Plant derived pesticides have rarely been successful, possibly on account of the protective wax which covers adult Mealybugs. The telltale signs of infestation are patches of sooty coloured mould. This grows on the honeydew secretions released by the Mealybugs. The best natural predator of the Mealybug is Cryptolaemus Montrouzieri, a species of Ladybird found in Australia. Since it’s discovery, Cryptolaemus has been exported to organic citrus producers...

It is surprising to learn how many dedicated gardeners have limited understanding of the variety and characteristics of beneficial organisms which can be applied to control destructive insect pests. This may be partly due to the amount of research and funding which is derived within the tradition of Integrated Pest Management (IPM). Organic growers tend to distance themselves from any approach which includes the application of chemical controls. While IPM advocates the controlled use of chemical insecticides, it is possible to concentrate on the biological controls and other strategies which are harmonious with our basic organic principles. To ignore the positive aspects of IPM seems overly restrictive. Beneficial organisms are generally classified...