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Production Challenge
Limited Pesticide Usage
A major selling point for Las Vegas Delight produced tomatoes is the limited number of insecticides used. "We use biologicals," the manager says. We're using the softer pesticides, the Bts, Neem Oil, and those that fall within that category." Pollination of the tomato crop is accomplished by using bumblebees (Bombus occidentalis) - 50 hives with approximately 50 bees in each. Bumblebees are very sensitive to any type of insecticide.
The company's most worrisome pest is the whitefly. To keep it under control they introduce a natural predator known as "eretmocerus." The miniature wasp lays its eggs in larvae of the whitefly, where they hatch and later kill the insect. "We've put hundreds of thousands of these tiny wasps inside our greenhouses.
How does the whitefly get into the environment in the first place? Mother nature appears to be the culprit, the greenhouse manager says. Whenever there is a windstorm of any kind, it is time to be monitoring the facility. They come through the roof vents and, once inside, the environment is perfect for rapid buildup.
"One of the best protections we have going here is a natural freeze, and that generally occurs sometime in November each year," Gerhart says. "That reduces the inoculum level and potential pressure. With no other influence present except what may already be inside the greenhouse, we are in better control of what is going on."