Grower designs insect control database

Problem: Clackamas Greenhouses production manager Jon Venzke was seeking an easier way to keep track of pest-management data, including sticky trap counts, chemical applications and scouting notes.

Solution: Venzke developed a database for insect control and monitoring. New Bug City is expected to be available for purchase by the summer.

Details: After entering initial data for greenhouse ranges, crops and chemicals, input can be made for sticky trap counts, chemical applications and scouting notes. The program allows growers to compare what controls have been applied and the results obtained based on trapped populations. Pest counts for insects can be recorded at any time.

“I almost can’t live without it,” Venzke said. “It’s a great tool.”

Before he created the database, information was stored on an Excel spreadsheet. But the New Bug City database allows users to access pest averages per sticky card per week as well as pesticide applications.

“We use both the averages and the application information to make comparisons,” he said. “For instance, we can look at an Orthene application and see what has happened to the thrips population. It’s a great comparative tool.”

Venzke created the database several years ago based on the Microsoft Access program. It has evolved over the years. The updated version allows users to add insects as needed. It also features a notes and photos section.

The new version also has helped Clackamas Greenhouses develop a threshold for insects on certain crops, he said.

Venzke is unsure about the price, but he wants to “make it so just about any grower can get it.”

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He plans to offer it in a run-time version for users who don’t have Microsoft Access.

For more: Clackamas Greenhouses, (800) 460-7806; jon.venzke@clackamasgreenhouses.com.