Augmentative Biocontrol - Step 6

Step 6: Scaling and Strengthening Your Biocontrol System

Overview

Once you’ve successfully piloted augmentative biocontrol in one crop, the next step is to scale up. Expansion should be strategic, based on data, staff capacity, and pest pressure across your facility. This phase also involves staying informed on new tools and assessing your support systems.

Scaling up your augmentative biocontrol program requires both logistical coordination and ongoing education. Growth should be driven by what’s working, and a willingness to adjust what isn’t. As you expand:

  • Build on lessons learned from initial crops
  • Use past scouting and post-release data to inform decisions
  • Involve your team in adapting schedules and responsibilities
  • Continue investing in staff training and recordkeeping

Stay Informed: New Research, Tools, and Technology

Biocontrol is a rapidly evolving field. Expanding your program successfully means staying up to date while avoiding overhyped or misapplied tools.

  • Attend webinars, conferences, and supplier training events regularly.
  • Subscribe to university extension updates, supplier newsletters, and trade publications.
  • Consult regional experts, such as university specialists or Cooperative Extension personnel, for recommendations suited to your growing conditions.

Be Critical of New Technologies

New tools like digital insect ID apps, AI pest detection, or drone release systems may be advertised as game-changers. Evaluate new technologies carefully:

  • Does the tool solve a real problem in your system?
  • Is it accurate and proven under greenhouse conditions?
  • Will it help staff work more effectively, or add complexity?
  • Is it compatible with your current recordkeeping system?

For example, some AI image-recognition apps claim to identify pests to species level. While this might be convenient, accuracy can be limited, and identification mistakes may lead to poor decisions. Use such tools with caution and verify findings with trained staff or expert ID support.

Grow Your Internal Capacity

Scaling up isn’t just about ordering more biocontrols—it’s about making sure your internal systems can support the growth.

  • Schedule regular refresher training as new pests, staff, or crops are introduced.
  • Update SOPs (standard operating procedures) for scouting, release, and quality control as needed.
  • Ensure adequate time and labor are dedicated to scouting and deployment tasks.
    • Scouting often gets rushed as responsibilities grow. Safeguard it with scheduled time blocks.

Assessing Your Supplier Relationship

Your biocontrol supplier should be a trusted partner as you scale your program. Ask yourself:

  • Are shipments arriving reliably and on time?
  • Are the organisms viable and healthy?
  • Do they offer technical support when you have questions or problems?
  • Are they transparent about product limitations?
  • Do they notify you of delays or substitutions promptly?

If the relationship isn’t meeting your expectations:

  • Provide feedback to the supplier.
  • Consider trying a small shipment from another supplier for comparison.
  • Talk with peers or regional experts about who they work with and trust.

Plan for Continued Monitoring and Evaluation

Expanding a program doesn’t mean “set it and forget it.” Regular evaluation is essential. As you scale:

  • Continue weekly meetings or reviews of biocontrol performance
  • Review long-term pest trends and biocontrol effectiveness across crops
  • Adjust tactics based on what’s working (or not)
  • Update records and tracking tools to match the scale of the program

Prepare for Seasonal Review

As your augmentative biocontrol program expands, it’s important to build in moments of reflection. Consider scheduling a seasonal or annual review during your slowest production time. Use this opportunity to:

  • Compare biocontrol success across crops and time
  • Identify bottlenecks in scouting, release, or training
  • Update SOPs or digital tracking systems
  • Invite feedback from staff on what’s working and what’s not

Doing this prep work sets the stage for a meaningful annual review process, which is covered next.

Each season brings new lessons. A formal, annual review helps consolidate what you’ve learned, so your biocontrol program becomes smarter, more efficient, and more resilient over time.

Questions to guide your annual review:

  • Are pests being controlled effectively across all crops?
  • Where did you see the most biocontrol success? The least?
  • Are staff confident and comfortable with the system?
  • What could be streamlined next season?

Biocontrol: The Pest Is Yet To Come

Adopting augmentative biocontrol is not just a shift in pest management, it’s a meaningful investment in the future of your operation. Each step you take, from piloting one crop to scaling across your facility, strengthens your team’s skills, builds resilience into your production system, and supports a more sustainable industry. While there will always be challenges to troubleshoot, this journey is full of innovation, discovery, and collaboration. As more growers share their tools, observations, and creative solutions, the collective knowledge around biocontrol continues to grow. Whether you’re just beginning or refining an established program, you are part of a movement that’s reshaping what pest management looks like, crop by crop, season by season.