Biobest participates in successful BC Cranberry Field Day

Almost two hundred Canadian growers, suppliers and researchers recently visited an exceptional outdoor cranberry event in Delta, British Columbia. Biobest seized the opportunity to present its pollination and biocontrol solutions for cranberry production.

The provincial Cranberry Marketing Commission and Grower’s Association organise a biannual event. For the first time, this event took place at the Cranberry Research Farm. The site was buzzing with activity on Tuesday 8 September. Visitors toured the fields to see new cranberry varieties with impressive size and colour. Biobest’s initiative to showcase bumblebees for pollination and solutions for biological pest control was also well received.

“Biobest is the first and only company to commercialize a native bumblebees species for outdoor pollination in Western Canada since 2014.” says Amanda Brown, biological crop protection specialist at Biobest Canada. “For this event, we brought hives with glass tops allowing growers to see the hive activity and its various life stages. An excellent opportunity to explain and show the exciting life of a bumblebee hive, offering growers a unique look behind the scenes of a Bombus huntii colony.”

Amanda’s talk on the bumblebee’s lifecycle and its benefits for cranberry pollination was well received. Pollination is a major success factor in cranberry production, and growers welcome bumblebees for their excellent pollination skills.

Biological control solutions were also shown live. The microscope providing live coverage of Steinernema carpocapsae ‘in action’ attracted many to the Biobest booth. This nematode is used to control cranberry girdler moth. Its larvae feed on the cranberry vine roots and this beneficial nematode, commercialized by Biobest under the trade name Carpocapsae-System is an excellent solution to control this pest without chemicals.

Visitors were also quite interested in Biobest’s traps and lures. “One supplier in British Columbia has recently gone out of business, and growers were clearly concerned about where to buy these essential products in the future,” says Amanda. “Biobest’s aim is to provide a complete suite of biological solutions for the different pest and disease problems faced by the grower.”