Biological Control Conference for Ornamental Growers
Event Date:Thursday, November 12, 2026
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: $80 per person. Registration includes a boxed lunch and four 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, November 5, 2026. The registration fee is refundable 48 hours before the event minus 10%. Please note that we have a maximum capacity of 70 attendees.
Walk-in registrations are not an option.
Program 
| Time | Description | Speaker |
| 8:30 – 9:00 AM | Check-in & Coffee available | |
| 9:00 – 10:00 AM | Microbial Biopesticide Applications
Get more out of every microbial application. This session breaks down what you need to know about microbial product active ingredients, strains, concentration, formulations, efficacy, and application best practices. I will share several grower demonstration trial examples to show how they checked microbial viability and coverage.♣ |
Julie Graesch
Biological Program Manager, BioWorks |
| 10:00 – 11:00 AM | Reading the Greenhouse: What Your Pests and Beneficials Are Telling You
Effective biological control depends on more than releasing the right beneficial organism. It requires knowing how to interpret what is happening in the crop. This presentation will help growers recognize the signs of a successful or unsuccessful pest management program. We will explore why biological control programs can fail, including how pesticide applications can either help or harm your biological control program, and most importantly, how to recognize and avoid these problems before they become major issues.♣ |
Suzanne Wainwright-Evans
Buglady Consulting |
| 11:00 – 11:15 AM | Break | |
| 11:15 – 11:45 PM | Brown Lacewing and Crazee Mite —Meet the Two New Predators Brown Lacewing are predaceous as adults in addition to predaceous feeding in the larval stage. Crazee mites are such generalists that they even eat leafhoppers in addition to thrips, spider mites, whiteflies, mealybugs and aphids. However, for both predators, we feel most confident that they will establish when released into aphid hot spots. This talk will share some of what we have learned in the last two years.♣ | Carol Glenister
Entomologist, IPM Laboratories |
| 11:45 – 12:30 PM | Lunch (Box lunch included) | |
| 12:30 – 1:30 PM |
Bug Battle: Know Your Pests and Beneficials Accurate identification is the foundation of any successful biological control program. Knowing which insects and mites are damaging your crop, and which ones are working for you, helps you choose the right biocontrol agents, time releases correctly, and avoid mistaking natural enemies for pests. In this interactive, game-show-style session, participants will sharpen their skills in recognizing common greenhouse and nursery pests and their beneficial counterparts, learn the key features that tell them apart, and explore how correct identification guides biocontrol decisions. There will be an in-depth discussion about active ingredients, mode or action, IRAC groups and pesticide compatibility with beneficials. Come ready to test your knowledge, learn something new, and compete for prizes awarded to the top bug experts in the room. |
Suzanne Wainwright-Evans
Buglady Consulting |
|
1:30 – 2:00 PM
|
Hands-on Activity: Evaluating Even Distribution of Microbial Products
Poor coverage is the biggest failure of biopesticides. This activity will demonstrate how to use spray-sensitive paper and selective media petri plates to assess viability and distribution of microbial-based products when sprayed, fogged, or drenched. Participants will learn how to use and position these monitoring tools, interpret results, and take action when problems occur. ♣ |
Julie Graesch
Biological Program Manager, BioWorks |
|
2:00 – 3:00 PM
|
Growers’ IPM Hacks
In this session, growers will share practical IPM strategies that have—and have not—worked in their operations. Topics will include in-houses rearing of beneficials, conducting in-house pest management trials, how to track pest activity, IPM maintenance programs, and other lessons learned through experience to keep a clean crop. |
Elizabeth Coyle & Caroline Schuck
Prides Corner Farms Barbara Pierson White Flower Farm Nathan Guzzo and Unison Kelner Marsh Botanical Gardens, Yale University Weston Soule Casertano Greenhouses & Farms |
| 3:00 PM | Discussion and Questions |
|
♣ 4 pesticide recertification credits have been requested for this program from Connecticut and New England states (categories PA, 1A, 3A and 3C).
If you have any questions about the program, please email Rosa Raudales at rosa@uconn.edu. For questions about registration, contact Nadya Granda at nadya.granda@uconn.edu
This Program is Sponsored in part by the University of Connecticut, USDA CCPM project number 2024-70006-43570.
