Why an integrated approach is best

Farmers are finding more and more natural enemies to keep tomato leaf miners in check instead of resorting solely to chemicals, says Bill Kerr.

- Bill Kerr

These cherry tomatoes were planted long after the other plants in the tunnel, and so ripened much later. Despite this, no Tuta absoluta attacked them, proving the effectiveness of biological pest control. BILL KERR

I once used a biological product to control Tuta absoluta (tomato leaf miner) in my own tomato crop. Unfortunately, the manufacturer ceased production of the product. But because I was using my crop solely for breeding purposes, I decided to stop spraying for the pest.

Last year, the plants suffered a fair amount of damage; this year, there was much less. I planted my first tunnel as soon as the frost was past and the final tunnel started maturing in March. There is very little damage to these tomatoes, despite the fact that I have never sprayed them or used traps.