ABSTRACT
Pesticides (in this case, insecticides and miticides) are an integral component of most greenhouse pest management programs. Pesticides, in general, are relatively inexpensive, easy to apply, and effective (in most cases). Additionally, there is a psychological satisfaction and level of comfort after applying pesticides to suppress insect and/or mite pest populations, which is different than using biological control (described in Chapter 7) where there may be level of uncertainty. Pesticides are used primarily to kill insect and mite pests, and maintain the aesthetic quality of greenhouse-grown horticultural crops for marketability and salability. Greenhouse producers use pesticides because, when selling whole plants, there is still a stigma associated with consumers that they will not purchase plants with either insects or mites, or plants that exhibit any noticeable damage symptoms. Furthermore, there are issues regarding the low tolerance of certain insects that vector diseases such as viruses, which can result in frequent use of pesticides. However, due to strict laws and regulations, and the extensive costs of registering a pesticide, fewer new active ingredients are being registered for use in greenhouses. Moreover, greenhouse-grown horticultural crops are considered a specialty crop, which is why many pesticides registered for
use in greenhouses are substantially more expensive than those registered for use on agricultural crops, such as corn, soybean, cotton, and rice.
