Looking for an advanced course this winter that goes beyond biocontrol basics and trains decision-making: calibrating scouting accuracy, converting yellow-card data (e.g., 5 thrips/card/week) into thresholds, and calculating release plans for A. swirskii while mapping IRAC rotations for spot interventions. Prefer programs with a hands-on practicum or case-based labs that also award state pesticide applicator CEUs — what have you taken recently that was worth the time?
award state pesticide applicator CEUs — what have you taken recently that was worth the time? I did MSU Extension’s Greenhouse IPM Academy last winter and got CEUs; the best bit was a case lab converting 5 thrips/card/week into an A. swirskii release plan — my tip is to log card-hours and cards per 100 m² so your thresholds and release math aren’t skewed by placement. Their IRAC rotation exercise was solid, but we had to swap out Group 6 in petunia due to phyto, so build a crop-specific fallback.
Short answer from my side: I’m seeing the same pattern — one concrete thing that helped was writing down the exact handoff and timebox it to 15–20 min. Does that match what you’re running into?
Did UF/IFAS Greenhouse Training Online (Advanced IPM) this winter — turned ‘5 thrips/card/week’ into thresholds and A — swirskii plans; CEUs vary: https://greenhousetraining.ifas.ufl.edu.
Cornell NYSIPM’s winter greenhouse IPM workshop scratched that exact itch for me — case labs where we converted yellow-card data into thresholds, built A. swirskii release plans, and even calibrated scout accuracy with duplicate routes (, humbling). CEUs were NY-only when I went, so check your state, but the decision-making practice was top-notch; we mapped IRAC rotations using this MoA chart: Mode of Action Classification | Insecticide Resistance Management | IRAC.