Produce growers keep bugs out without chemicals

Gardeners at agreenhouse near Saskatoonsay their customers shouldn't be worried about finding bugs in their salad.

The topic of insects in vegetables has come up recently in Saskatchewan. A Saskatoon woman found a large iron cross blister beetle in her organic packaged salad from the grocery store. Shortly after, another family in North Battleford found one of the large colourful beetles in their grocery-bought salad.

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Online commenters have raised the question of whether it's possible to keep bugs out of salads without the use of pesticides.

The owners ofFloating Gardens market garden just outside ofOsler saidthey have done just that. However, the process isn't easy.

"When we pick our produce, it gets inspected when it gets picked, and it gets inspected when it gets packed," said co-owner Chris Buhler. "So, we double inspect everything that comes out of here."

Fighting bugs with bugs

9 years ago

Duration 0:49

Rachel Buhler, co-owner of Floating Gardens, explains how they use certain insects to fight bad bugs.

[The garden also uses predatory insects that eat pests, rather than using chemicals. The greenhouse is also completely closed off from the elements, with fine screens on vents to keep the bugs out.

"The reason why we want to keep bugs out is because consumers are concerned about it," he said. "I think if something came through, consumers would be concerned about it."

Buhler said he's never been a big fan of using chemicals on his food, and if he can avoid doing it, he will.

"I really don't want to eat food that's been sprayed by harsh chemicals," he said. "So, we try and keep the harsh chemicals out."

While the company does its best to keep their produce bug-free, Buhler said he isn't as grossed out by bugs as some people.

"Personally, I think some bugs are going to be around in nature," he said. "I know it doesn't bother me personally, but I know there's people who are bothered by it."