zoo's and botanical gardens
From the beginning Entocare was active in crop protection in various situations such as in:
- plantings indoors
- gardens in offices, hospitals, nursing homes and shopping malls
- tropical pools
- planters in offices
- zoo’s
- botanical gardens
These places have several things in common. So they are usually open to the public, and the employees are always present. The plants are mostly for decoration. The climatic conditions are therefore chosen for the primary function of space. These are often not the ideal growing conditions for plants. Plant chosen in these situations are often (sub) tropical plants, many of which are combined for their ornamental value but different demands on growing conditions and fertilization. It is often too dark or the air is too dry for these plants. Sometimes the temperature is not optimal, or they do not get water regularly. All these factors weaken the plants and make them more susceptible to diseases and pests. In botanical gardens is the maintenance of the collection the main objective, but space is often limited and the climatic conditions are not optimal for all the plants. Due to the large variation in many different species infestations.
From the point of view of the environment and health, it is desirable to minimize use of chemical pesticides. Sometimes spraying chemicals is impossible because there are always people (or animals) present. Chemicals can also be harmful to plants. Because of the great plant diversity on a small area, treating the plants individually with chemicals is virtually impossible. Therefore biological control is a viable alternative.
In so doing, natural enemies of the pest at extremely low levels. As long as it does not compromise the esthetic value of the plant, it is usually not a problem that plague not entirely disappeared.
Application of biological control in an indoor public space is completely harmless to people living work or stay near the plant. The natural enemies attack only specifics pests, not people and not the plant which they are introduced on. Once the pest is eradicated, the natural enemies die. In transition to organic pest control must often take account of the after-effect a chemical agent.
ENTOCARE is specialized in biological control in custom situations. In order to achieve a good biological control many natural enemies are needed. Each pest has its own enemy while the enemy also has a preference for certain conditions or host plants. We rear a large part of the beneficials, which allows us to deliver fresh products. We also provide expert guidance and discuss the biological control strategy. Knowledge transfer of knowledge to a garden employee is a major task and we see ourselves as a good basis for longer-term cooperation. We offer consultancy for specific situation and provide the necessary guidance.