The Palisade Insectary, part of the Colorado Department of Agriculture, broke ground Oct. 3 on a new grow-house project.

The 880-square-foot building will expand the insectary’s ability to raise plants to feed biocontrol agents, which are supplied to agricultural producers and land managers across the state for control of noxious weeds.

“This new grow house will help the insectary rear more biocontrol agents, which helps the entire state of Colorado manage invasive plant and insect species that harm crops, rangeland and urban green spaces,” Palisade Insectary Director Dan Bean said.

The new building will allow the Insectary to control light and temperature for growing plants that feed the different biocontrol agents being reared. This includes the 14 types of insects currently cultivated through the Request-a-Bug program to help with invasive weeds such as field bindweed, puncturevine (also known as goat heads), tamarisk and leafy spurge.

The Palisade Insectary is the oldest biological control facility of its kind in the United States and has been instrumental in protecting Colorado’s agriculture and natural resources since its inception in 1945. Throughout its existence, the insectary has partnered with farmers to develop and test biocontrol agents.

Initially established to combat the Oriental Fruit Moth, a destructive peach pest, with the release of the “Mac” wasp (Macrocentrus ancylivorus), the insectary has developed more than 90 different biological agents to control invasive weed and insect species over the past 80 years.

Noxious weeds provide poor habitat for livestock and wildlife and crowd out native species. Heavy infestations can make the land unusable.

The Insectary’s Request-a-Bug program provides biocontrol agents directly to the public. Coloradans can receive biocontrol agents for their use in their own farms, gardens, or backyards.

Each year, the insectary ships out more than 4,000 releases, which contain more than 4 million insects, to local weed managers, ag producers, gardeners, landowners, local governments and others to help stop the spread of noxious weeds and harmful pests.

The most popular insect available through Request-a-Bug is the field bindweed mite, frequently used by homeowners to combat field bindweed. These mites feed on bindweed, causing its leaves to curl, vines to stunt, and eventually leading to dieback.