We investigated the success of two stingless bee species in pollinating strawberries in greenhouses. Three greenhouses and one open field area were used; one greenhouse had only strawberry plants (control), another (G1) had three colonies of Scaptotrigona aff. depilis and another (G2) had three colonies of Nannotrigona testaceicornis. In the open field area, the flowers could be visited by any ...

The effectiveness of inundative releases of the parasitoid Eretmocerus eremicus n. sp. Rose & Zolnerowich for control of Bemisia argentifolii Bellows & Perring on poinsettia in replicated experimental greenhouses was determined. We evaluated two release rates of E. eremicus: a low release rate (one female per plant per week, released in two greenhouses, in spring 1995) and a high release rate (...

A review is given of all the literature records of millipedes and centipedes that have been found in German greenhouses together with additional records for 29 such sites. Species lists are given for 46 greenhouses investigated throughout Germany. Thirty-five diplopod and 18 chilopod species were found to occur in greenhouses, of which 15 (3 Chilopoda, 12 Diplopoda) are restricted to this type ...

Banker plants with Aphidius colemani Viereck were tested in greenhouses in Massachusetts and New York for control of cotton aphid Aphis gossypii Glover, and green peach aphid Myzus persicae (Sulzer) on 2 spring flower crops, pansies ( Viola tricolor hortensis ) and Marguerite daisies ( Argyranthemum hybrid). Banker plants consisted of pots of barley plants infested with the bird cherry-oat aphi...

To explore the space between the theories of the Diffusion of Innovations and Universal Darwinism, we first examine a case study of the history of the greenhouse horticulture sector of the Netherlands, comparing and contrasting the narrow focus of Diffusion of Innovations and the wider focus of Universal Darwinism. We then build an agent-based model using elements of both in order to test how w...

Pathogen spread or ‘spillover’ can occur when heavily infected, domestic hosts interact with closely-related wildlife populations. Commercially-produced bumble bees used in greenhouse pollination often have higher levels of various pathogens than wild bumble bees. These pathogens may spread to wild bees when commercial bees escape from greenhouses and interact with their wild counterparts at ne...

Industrial scale greenhouses have, during the last decade, reached a high level of automation. However, the illumination is in general still controlled manually. One key factor in controlling the illumination in greenhouses is to detect how well the light energy is used for photosynthesis. Whereas too dim light means reduced production, too strong light is harmful for plants. The focus here is ...

Greenhouse operations are an important sector of the horticulture industry, also known as the Green Industry, accounting for nearly 2 million US jobs and about $148 billion in output. It is a work environment that can result in increased exposure to respiratory hazards because of its fundamentally enclosed nature. In addition, high concentrations of bioaerosols may be aerosolized by work activi...

The honey bee is a major insect used for pollination of many commercial crops worldwide. Although the use of honey bees for pollination can disrupt the habitat, the effects on their physiology have never been determined. Recently, honey bee colonies have often collapsed when introduced in greenhouses for pollination in Japan. Thus, suppressing colony collapses and maintaining the number of work...

This paper presents a novel hierarchical control approach and new mathematical optimization models of greenhouses, which can be readily incorporated into energy hub management systems in the context of smart grids to optimize the operation of their energy systems. In greenhouses, artificial lighting, CO2 production, and climate control systems consume considerable energy; thus, a mathematical m...