Whether you are dealing with a pest problem, having car trouble, or trying to figure out who stole the cookie from the cookie jar, your job starts with an investigation — the information-gathering step where you search for clues. In pest management, inspection is the first and most important step toward addressing an issue, helping…Continue Reading Identifying Your Pest – with Poop?
Keep Records on Pests
They’re back! Insect pests, plant diseases, weeds, birds, biting flies — the works. And tracking them year to year is critical. How better to know your options are, this year and in years to come? So pick up a pencil, smart phone or tablet and write them down on a field-to-field or livestock basis. Write…Continue Reading Keep Records on Pests
It Might Be Eden – But Not for Insect Pests
Many greenhouse growers in New York State are using biological control — sending in bug warriors to rid their greenhouses of pest insects — but not all of them get to be on TV. Mark and Kevin Zittel of Amos Zittel and Sons Farm in Eden NY have been working hard to learn how to…Continue Reading It Might Be Eden – But Not for Insect Pests
Dandelions — Love Them or Leave Them, but Don’t Spray Them
It’s May, and lawns across NY are speckled with golden jewels – jewels that provide a valuable early pollen source for our native pollinators and whose leaves and roots are loaded with nutrients. Or — our lawns are splotched by a horrible weed besmirching their beauty, a beacon to shame lax householders. It’s really all…Continue Reading Dandelions — Love Them or Leave Them, but Don’t Spray Them
Helping farmers provide worm free sweet corn to their customers
Sweet corn growers have begun planting the first sweet corn for local farm stands. This means that collaborators with the sweet corn pheromone trap network are getting ready to place traps for five different types of moths at 37 farms across New York. They want to stay on top of moth flights because their larvae…Continue Reading Helping farmers provide worm free sweet corn to their customers
Top 5 Pest Hangouts — in Your Kitchen
Spring! Time to fling open the windows, plant some flowers — and begin the annual tradition of spring-cleaning. But are you getting to all those places where pests find food, water, or shelter? Householders tend to overlook these five places. And they could be just the spots where pests come for a free meal or…Continue Reading Top 5 Pest Hangouts — in Your Kitchen
Purple — Not the New Green in Spring
Bedding plant growers have to get the jump on spring so their plants are flowering and gorgeous when we’re ready to start planting. They might start planting in February when even the greenhouses are a little cold. And sometimes those new leaves come out purple instead of green. You might be great fan of the…Continue Reading Purple — Not the New Green in Spring
Field Crop Go-to Report Profits — You
Grow field crops, or know someone who does? What’s happening in the field — and where? The growing season is upon us and keeping on top of what insect, disease and weed pests are out there — and when — can make a big difference in a farm’s profit margin. Where can you get timely…Continue Reading Field Crop Go-to Report Profits — You
High Tunnels Give Farmers a Jump on the Season — and an IPM Advantage
Early local tomatoes are a plus for both farmers and consumers. More and more farmers are using simple hoop structures covered with a layer of plastic to grow early crops of heat-loving vegetables like tomatoes, peppers, and cucumbers. They also get an advantage in managing some pests — especially diseases caused by fungi that…Continue Reading High Tunnels Give Farmers a Jump on the Season — and an IPM Advantage