Contract scouting
For dedicated Real IPM customers who are purchasing beneficial insects exclusively from Real IPM, we offer a contract scouting service. In conjunction with weekly meetings with the Company Crop Protection Manager, this provides a strategic plan on the numbers of beneficial insects to apply each week and the compatible fungicides and insecticides which will need to be applied for other pests and diseases.
Our crop protection managers are BASIS qualified. This enables customers using their services to comply with GLOBAL GAP requirements for receiving crop protection advice from ‘competent’ advisors (even if they do not have a BASIS qualified person on their staff). We also provide BASIS and FACTS training.
This type of scouting information is just as useful in conventional spray programmes as it gives a much more objective picture of the weekly changes in pest and disease levels than the more commonly used pest or disease index method – which grades pest levels subjectively as ‘high’,’medium’ and ‘low’. By using more objective, quantitative scouting methods, the grower will identify which insecticides and fungicides no longer work because of resistance or discover problems associated with poor application methods, or inappropriate active ingredients applied. Contact us to discuss your requirements.