BioBee USA
100 Clemwood St., Suite B
Salisbury, MD 21804
410-572-4159
https://www.biobee.com/
Interview with Steven Arthurs, Technical Sales, Specialty Agriculture
What products and services does BioBee offer?
Our products focus on biological treatment of common greenhouse and nursery pests by using natural enemies, including predatory mites, parasitic wasps, predatory insects, and beneficial nematodes. The company was founded in Israel in 1983 and the U.S. subsidiary was established in 2017. I joined the U.S. team the following year. Currently, we are grateful to service several large nurseries in Colorado that use our products.
What is unique about BioBee’s offerings?
Our expertise is in biologically-based integrated pest management (IPM). A core belief at BioBee is that agriculture and all types of plant production can be managed and improved by incorporating what nature has to offer. BioBee came to the U.S. to introduce and demonstrate the biological pest control methods the company has developed over the past 40+ years. The growers we serve include those in horticulture—greenhouses and nurseries—and in agriculture, as well as those in the cannabis industry. Our production facility in Israel rears the beneficial insects and mites. The beneficials are harvested weekly and shipped around the world under cool conditions, arriving at worldwide destinations within 2-3 days.
How do you determine what solutions to offer?
We know that growers in a specific area face their own challenges, so we adapt and tailor solutions to meet their unique situation. Where possible, we work with each grower to educate ourselves about their needs and their current pest management practices, and recommend specific biological solutions that can work for them. When feasible, we might recommend a combined chemical and biological approach. Some newer chemicals are more specifically targeted. Obviously, we don’t want to harm the beneficials. BioBee provides hands-on field service support for customers as they implement new pest management protocols using beneficials.
What trends do you see in the industry?
In the pest control markets, biological solutions are showing the biggest growth. We think the trend will continue as growers adopt more environmentally friendly solutions. Biological IPM solutions are also generally safer for workers and the environment. In the case of edible crops—from leafy greens to tree fruits—biological pest management can be used to produce food with fewer chemical residues, which can help with export markets.
Why did you join CNGA?
Having some customers in Colorado, we joined CNGA to learn more about the greenhouse and horticulture businesses in the state. We look forward to networking with other members, learning more about their businesses and introducing our products and services. A new person from BioBee will be based in Denver very soon and is interested in opportunities to meet CNGA members.
