Biological Control Conference for Ornamental Growers
Event Date: Thursday, September 18, 2025
Hosted by: Rosa Raudales & Charles Krasnow, UConn Extension
Target audience: Commercial greenhouse and nursery growers producing ornamental plants
Location: Jones Auditorium, The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station, 123 Huntington Street, New Haven, CT.
Parking: Campus lots or street parking on Huntington Street and East Rock Road.
Registration: $70 per person. Registration includes a boxed lunch and six pesticide recertification credits for Connecticut and New England states for presentations marked with ♣.
Online registration at Greenhouse Training Store (or use the QR code at the right). Registration will end at 5:00 p.m. on Thursday, September 11, 2025. The registration fee is refundable 48 hours before the event. Please note that we have a maximum capacity of 70 attendees. Walk-in registrations are not an option.
Program 
| Time | Description | Speaker |
| 8:00 – 8:30 AM | Check-in & Coffee available | Rosa Raudales, UConn |
| 8:30 – 9:30 AM | Biostimulants: Promote plant growth and enhance stress tolerance. Biostimulants may contain many different active ingredients including humic and fulvic acids or plant growth promoting microorganisms. Environmental conditions, substrate composition, plant species, and fertilizer applications affect the efficacy and consistency of biostimulants, particularly those with microorganisms. Learn about successes, challenges, and the importance of conducting in-house trials.♣ | Michelle Jones
Professor and D.C. Kiplinger Floriculture Endowed Chair, Dept. of Horticulture and Crop Science, The Ohio State University |
| 9:30 – 10:30 AM | Seek & Find: Scouting for pests and beneficials in crops —The first step in developing an integrated pest management program is to properly identify pests and beneficial insects and know where to scout. In this session, you will learn about the distinguishable characteristics of the main insects that live in the greenhouse. By the end of the session, you will take specific tips to find and identify pest and biocontrol insects.♣ | Suzanne Wainwright-Evans
Buglady Consulting |
| 10:00 – 10:15 AM | Break | |
| 10:15 – 11:15 AM | Biocontrol Programs for House Plants and Succulents — Learn how to adjust the biocontrol program when producing houseplants and succulents. Chris will share her experience in how foliage and succulents have specific pest issues and how to manage them. Tips on the following topics will be included: pre-plant dips of susceptible plants, foliage susceptible to INSV/TSWV and shoreflies; thrips and mealybug control; in-house test strips, stock plants; efficacy of nematode applications; shoreflies control; scouting spider-mites; release of beneficial insects; fiber totems as a hiding place for mealybugs; among other practical tips.♣ | Chris Schlegel Grower, D.S. Cole Growers |
| 11:15 – 12:00 PM | Lunch | |
| 12:00 – 1:00 PM | Bug Math: Counting your tiny workforce — Quantify and do quality control of biocontrol products and insects. Effective biological control depends onhaving the right quality and quantity of beneficials. In this session, Suzanne will provide specific protocols on how to assess quality control of the beneficials when you receive them. This presentation will be followed by hands-on demonstrations.♣ | Suzanne Wainwright-Evans
Buglady Consulting |
| 1:00 – 1:30 PM | Break and Demonstrations | |
| 1:30 – 2:15 PM
|
From Roots to Shoots — Maximizing the efficacy of biologically-based disease and pests management strategies. Mike will discuss how to increase the efficacy of biocontrol programs by matching the product to the problem, applying them correctly, and using compatible products. ♣ | Michael Brownbridge
Sr. Technical Services Manager, BioWorks |
|
2:15 – 2:35 PM
2:35 – 2:55 PM
2:55 – 3:15 PM |
News from the Biocontrol Industry: Learn about the new products or ways to improve the efficacy and efficiency of applying biocontrols. In this session, each company will share information about how to increase the efficacy of biocontrol through new ways to disperse beneficial insects and the adoption of new beneficials in the market. ♣
BioBee: How to alter application guns to containers and other ways to improve application of biocontrols.
Natutec Airobreez – The next-generation application gun, highlighting the importance of evenly blended BCAs and carrier material.
IPM Labs: Introducing two new beneficials: Brown lacewing and the new Crazee mite |
Doug Barrow Technical Sales Representative, BioBee
Phil Gerry Technical Consultant, Koppert
Liz Keyser Technical Representative, IPM Labs |
| 3:30 PM | Discussion and Questions |
|
♣ 6 pesticide recertification credits (categories PA, 1A, and 3C) have been approved for this program.
If you have any questions about the program, please email Rosa Raudales at rosa@uconn.edu.
This Program is Co-Sponsored by: the University of Connecticut, USDA CCPM project number 2024-70006-43570, and UConn partners to the Root Alliance.
