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The #1 Thrips Advantage Big Greenhouses Don’t Have: Certified, Full-Time Scouts.

If you If you manage ≥ 20 acres of cucumbers, strawberries, or ornamentals,
a pro scout can return$500,000+ you’re leaking to missed hotpots.

Why Certified Scouts Beat Thrips and Pay for Themselves.

  • Early Detection = Cheap Control: Thrips caught in flowers today don’t become tomorrow’s systemic outbreak.

  • Dedicated Focus: Part-timers miss patterns; full-time pros map, flag, verify, and follow through.

  • System, not guesswork: Our curriculum turns instincts into SOPs: inspect → flag → map → act → confirm.

Limited Seats Available!

Essential Scout Levels 1–3 | $4,999 |

1 week + 12 months Mentorship

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  • You get: core field skills + accuracy discipline.

  • What they learn (condensed from your curriculum):

  • L1 Core Scouting: row/plant inspection; precise flagging (pink/yellow/orange); hotspot detection; weekly mapping; note-taking; pest:beneficial ratios; accuracy under pressure.

  • L2 Anatomy & Key Pests: insect vs. spider mite anatomy; feeding types; where/what to look for; whiteflies, thrips, spider mites, aphids: ID, damage, where they hide.

  • L3 Pattern Recognition & Biocontrol Basics: subtle damage vs. nutrition; hotspot patterns (vents/walls/warm zones); key beneficials (swirskii, persimilis, Encarsia) + placement; efficient coverage (1 acre/110 min); mapping & concise reporting; team comms; using trend maps.

  • Outcome: a reliable frontline scout who finds, flags, and guides action—on time.

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Initial Intake ONLY has 15 Seats! Act Fast

Pro Scout — L1–L5 | $7,999 |

2 weeks + 12 months mentorship

 

Everything in Essential, plus:

 

 

  • L4 Advanced Identification & Bio Deployment: differentiate pest damage vs. abiotic; optimize placement (sachets/cards/loose); monitor establishment (parasitism, reduced webbing); integrate with crop work.

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  • L5 Tools, Traps & Reporting Mastery: trap strategy (yellow/blue) for trend analysis; abiotic vs. biotic diagnostics; match beneficials to targets & carriers; precise, actionable reports.

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Outcome: a data-driven scout who anticipates outbreaks, aligns releases with activity, and shortens time-to-control.

Initial Intake ONLY has 15 Seats! Act Fast

Elite Scout — L1–L8 | $9,999 | 3 weeks + 12 months mentorship

 

Everything in Pro, plus:

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  • L6 Life-Stage Targeting & Climate Tuning: match release timing to pest life stages; dial in climate-dependent performance (swirskii, persimilis, Hypoaspis).

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  • L7 Minor Pests & Disease Interfaces: lygus, cucumber beetles, russet/broad, strawberry mites; basics of disease symptoms to avoid misdiagnosis; carrier recognition & advanced placement.

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  • L8 Advanced Biocontrol Strategy: nematodes, Orius, lacewings; banker plants; intraguild predation awareness; spot-treat protocols; climate-specific adjustments; outcome-based mapping with photo evidence.

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Outcome: a hotspot killer who orchestrates bios, climate, and workflow—and proves results on the map

Initial Intake ONLY has 15 Seats! Act Fast

THE PROGRAM

11:00 - 11:10 AM

Arrival & refreshments

11:10 - 11:45 AM

Presentation:

  • Improve Hive Distribution
    Maximize flower coverage and bee efficiency by fine-tuning hive placement and density based on crop type and greenhouse layout.

  • Improve Timing of Pollination
    Learn when to introduce hives for ideal overlap with peak flowering—reducing missed blooms and improving fruit uniformity.

  • Improve Pollination Conditions
    Understand how temperature, humidity, and light levels influence bee activity and how to create pollinator-friendly environments year-round.

  • Monitor & Evaluate Pollination Success
    Implement quick, actionable monitoring techniques to assess pollination quality across crops, helping you respond before yield is impacted.

  • Get More Value from Every Hive
    Extend hive lifespan and reduce replacement frequency by addressing handling, placement, and stress factors that undermine performance.

11:45 AM - 12:30 PM

Interactive Q&A and experience-sharing with peers

12:30 - 1:30 PM

Lunch

1:30 - 2:00 PM

Additional time for connecting & learning

LEARN WITH

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Dr. Ishtiaq Rao, Ph.D

CEO, Co-Founder, Entomologist

Since starting Crop Defenders in 2007 with a vision of putting Growers' & Consumers' best interests first, Ishtiaq has grown the company across 3 countries by helping Growers increase their profitability through sustainable pest management.

Chad Brian

Lead Technical Consultant

Through over 2 decades as a Grower & Consultant, Chad has led the implementation of large-scale organic programs at several of North America's largest producers, including functional pollination programs for numerous varieties and greenhouse types.

Jeff Reitsma

Pollination & IPM Consultant

With almost a decade as a Grower and then Pollination & IPM Consultant, Jeff has supported greenhouse teams across hundreds of acres of tomatoes and strawberries, optimizing pollination and IPM strategies under both lit and unlit conditions.

Empower Yourself & Your Team With the Insights to Maximize Yields & Get More From Every Hive.

Register today to reserve seats for yourself & your team.

30 Seats | No Limit on the Number of Attendees per Farm

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