Palisade Insectary’s New Growhouse Boosts Fight Against Invasive Species in Colorado

To kick off the 2026 Colorado Agriculture Week, the Palisade Insectary, part of the Colorado Department of Agriculture (CDA), held a ribbon-cutting ceremony to mark the completion of a new growhouse. The 880 square foot building, along with existing greenhouse upgrades, greatly increases the Insectary's ability to produce biocontrol agents, which are supplied to agricultural producers and land managers across the state for control of noxious weeds.

Biocontrol agents are specially reared insects, such as mites, midges, and wasps, that target invasive plant and insect species. Non-native plants negatively impact the environment because they provide poor habitat for livestock and wildlife, crowd out native species, and heavy infestations can make the land unusable.

"The completion of this new, state-of-the-art growhouse is a significant milestone that will allow the Insectary to rear even more biocontrol agents, bolstering our efforts to help the entire state of Colorado manage invasive plant and insect species that harm crops, rangeland, and urban greenspaces," said Insectary Director Dan Bean.

The new structure provides four separate grow rooms with vertical growing capacity. These windowless rooms use LED lighting and specific temperature settings, enabling the Insectary to precisely control light and temperature for the plants that feed its various biocontrol agents, ultimately ensuring extended growing time.

The building is dedicated to the life and legacy of Brant Harrison, a Palisade peach farmer and local community and agricultural leader. Harrison was originally from Oklahoma, but made Palisade his home starting in 1978. Just a year later, he bought his first 5-acre orchard. Harrison was a leader in agriculture, converting his farm to organic in 1991 and working to help eradicate the Japanese beetle from the Western Slope in the early 2000s. He also served on various boards including the Colorado Agricultural Commission (2015-2023), Palisade's Tourism Advisory Board, and Pesticide Advisory Board.

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. 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.

Initially established to combat the fruit moth, a destructive peach pest, with the release of the "Mac" wasp (Macrocentrus ancylivorus), over the past eighty years the Insectary has developed more than 90 different biological agents to control invasive weed and insect species.

The Insectary is part of the Mountain Pine Beetle Task Force, working in coordination with other partners to mitigate the impacts of the pest. CDA is anticipating the pilot release of the beetle's biocontrol agent, Thanasimus dubius, in the fall of 2026.

The Insectary's most popular offering is the Request-a-Bug program, which provides biocontrol agents directly to the public. Coloradans can receive biocontrol agents for their use in their own farms, gardens, or backyards for invasive weeds such as Canada thistle, puncturevine (goatheads), or leafy spurge. 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.

Each year, the Insectary ships out more than 4000 releases, for a total of 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.

Above: The new growhouse at the Palisade Insectary. Below: The Palisade Insectary campus with the new growhouse in the forefront.