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Biocontrol Survey (fwd)





---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Fri, 8 Aug 1997 18:50:25 -0500
From: John Mugg <muggjohn@pilot.msu.edu>
To: sustag@beta.tricity.wsu.edu
Subject: Biocontrol Survey



From: John Mugg, Manager
      Botany Greenhouse and Butterfly House



        For the last 16 years as manager of a large glasshouse facility
(25,000 sq. ft.) with numerous plants arranged in  various habitats and
collections totally over 3000 species the disease and pest problems can
become numerous.  But, for the last 5 years, with special care and using
standard IPM strategies of scouting,monitoring,  use of safe sprays such as
soaps and oils and  augmenting with the pests' natural enemies most
problems can be kept under control or keep pests below "economic injury
level".
        I am also a graduate student in the Entomology Deparment and am
quite interested in biological control practices around the country and
especially those that are not using chemical controls at all.
        I would like to send a mail survey out to all the public gardens in
the USA that contain greenhouses, even if these are used for production
purposes rather than display purposes, mainly all those that have
greenhouses or conservatories where the public is allowed through.
        My main questions are:
1) How many, what %, etc. use full, partial or no biological control?
2) When did they start?
3) When will all public enclosed gardens be using strictly biocontrol
practices, no use of chemical pesticides?

4)What pests do you have?
5) What control(s) do you use?
6) How often do you augment with natural enemies? Cost?

7) Does your facility have a public component?
8) Do you teach biological control practices to staff, patrons, volunteers?

I am currently reading a book by Donald Dillman about setting up mail and
phone surveys and hope to design a questionaire which is expedient yet
filled with significant statistical information to put together an
excellent report.

If you have any comments or sugestions or know of someone that has these
same interests I would be appreciative if you shared them with me.

Thank You

John Mugg, Manager
Botany Greenhouse and Butterfly House
Michigan State University
East Lansing , MI 48824-1312
(517) 355-0229
email: muggjohn@pilot.msu.edu