The Rincon-Vitova team is grateful to be supplying products and services to farmers and gardeners. Meet the people you are most likely to find when you call or email.
Kyra Ankenbruck drove from Fort Wayne, Indiana, the day after graduating from Purdue University to learn about growing beneficial insects. She is assistant manager in production, research and development and pitches in everywhere, including customer service. Her first bugfarm.us blog post tells how she found our post-graduate internship through an environmental Toxicology classes. Degrees in biology and culinary arts prepared her for anything an insectary needs done. kyra@rinconvitova.com.

Gabriel Rude helps us over-deliver on our promises in shipping and takes excellent care of regular customer accounts, as well as covering in production on weekends and more. He also moved to California from Fort Wayne, Indiana. Kyra previously knew Gabe's work habits from working together in an Indiana butcher shop, and she knew a job with insects might somehow jibe with Gabe's other passion for watching sci-fi and horror movies. gabriel@rinconvitova.com.

Tracy Jensen performing front office role has a deep practical desire to understand and solve pest problems without toxic pesticides. She is eager to help determine the most cost-effective options and handle her customer's orders with care. She is always creating new hands-on learing experiences to share with Jaeden, her sever-year old entomologist son. rove from Fort Wayne, Indiana, the day after graduating from Purdue University to learn about growing beneficial insects. tracy@rinconvitova.com.

  Bridget Daughtersis our 2009 post-graduate intern. She comes with training in ag entomology and biocontgrol in production greenhouses. Since beneficials were the most fascinating thing she studied at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, she is now exploring the field of biocontrol through the varied practical learning opportunities that come our way. bridget@rinconvitova.com.

Rex and Susie Meach job-share in bookkeeping and customer service. Rex began at Rincon-Vitova in 1991. Susie worked here in the mid-‘90’s and still likes to help when needed (though her job at a yarn shop suits her main passion--spinning). An ecologist (and birdwatcher with Susie), Rex likes to be of service related to conservation of nature. They are happy to help with your needs at accounts@rinconvitova.com.
Jan Dietrick and Ron Whitehurst feel fortunate to be partners promoting biological control by natural enemies. Ron is a licensed Pest Control Advisor and involved with organic methods for almost 30 years. His book Reading Weeds as Soil Indicators is a database in need of some updating but still ahead of its time. Co-editors of the quarterly BioControl Beat and semi-annual Fly Control Buzz, they invite inquiries to bugnet@rinconvitova.com.

More about our mission and achievements can be found at the Dietrick papers and www.dietrick.org, a non-profit, the Dietrick Institute for Applied Insect Ecology.

 

Supported in part by Rincon-Vitova, the Dietrick Institute accepts tax deductible contributions to do training and education about sustainable agriculture and biocontrol by natural enemies.

 

Both organizations create access to knowledge and train the next generation of biocontrol practitioners with a focus on women. Other projects have empowered Spanish speaking farm workers and small farmers in Asia to help stop the use of pesticides where they farm.

Rincon-Vitova Insectaries Company Profile

We are the oldest among commercial free-enterprise insectaries and have been the pioneer for a growing biological control industry and profession since the late 1950’s.

 

 We maintain distinction within the industry in our development work and in our emphasis on building habitat diversity and conserving natural enemies. This ensures biological control programs that are affordable and work.

  • Goals
  • Produce beneficial insects and organisms designed by nature to control pests.
  • Distribute organisms and goods from reputable suppliers.
  • Support our customers with current technical information.
  • Support the Dietrick Institute for Applied Insect Ecology.
  • Develop distribution in an expanding network of biocontrol experts.
  • Make responsible choices for the planet.
  • Make responsible choices for the community.

Products 

We produce and distribute insects and other organisms reared on-site and by domestic and international producers to meet high quality standards. Freshness of perishable products is our top consideration. We are proud distributors of products from Applied BioNomics, Ltd. of British Columbia that ships the freshest Encarsia, Aphidoletes and other beneficials for greenhouses in the world. Like Applied BioNomics, we hold limited to no reserves of organisms in storage. Imports are held at ideally cool dark conditions for less than three hours before they leave our facility.

 

Our search for products that support our expanding vision of integrated biologically-based pest control programs has led us to expand beyond the insect and mite predators and various parasite species and distribute bacterial and mycorrhizal soil inoculants, insectary blend seed mixes, and snail, slug and fly traps to integrate with biological control organisms.

Customers 

We proudly serve thousands of large and small farms, nurseries, green houses, landscape and interior plantscapers, livestock and composting operations, hotels and resorts, zoos, botanical gardens, government agencies, many research institutions, and private residences. Customers remember us for the vitality of our products, our knowledgeable technical staff, our friendly follow-up support and our guarantee.

 

We support quality wholesalers and successful biological pest control advisors with service, technical advice and sales support. Among our longest-standing distributor and consultant associates are Living Farm Systems, McCarty's Pest Control, ESI, and West Gro Sales in British Columbia.

Public Relations

 

We give our customers reliable access practical, appropriate information. We have a solid reputation that generates dozens of inquiries weekly. Our only regular paid advertising is to support two of our favorite publications The IPM Practitioner and Acres USA. People are referred to us by professionals, directories, source books, databases, news articles, presentations, exhibitions and thousands of satisfed customers.

RVI History

BioControl History

Press Coverage

 
 

2005 Letter from Jan Dietrick

2005 Letter from Everett Dietrick

(to a friend who bought a farm)

 

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