From Integrated Weed Management Specialist BRYAN BROWN: Spring is my favorite. Rushing streams. Birds singing. Bright green leaves. Earth Day reminds me to appreciate these simple pleasures and think about ways to protect them. Responsible pest management through IPM offers a way for farmers to keep those leaves bright green, while keeping our streams running clean, and our…Continue Reading Earth Day 2020 – IPMers Consider 50 Years of Caring and Action (part #2)
Earth Day 2020 – IPMers Consider 50 Years of Concern and Action (part #1)
From Livestock & Field Crops IPM Extension Area Educator KEN WISE: What I remember the most of Earth Day is when I taught high school forestry and fishery. On Earth Day, we would plant several acres of Douglas fir seedlings or release salmon in rivers with my students in the Cascade Mountains. We would grow…Continue Reading Earth Day 2020 – IPMers Consider 50 Years of Concern and Action (part #1)
Our 2018-2019 Annual Report: #2 Hummingbirds as Partners, and Rodent Exclusion
Birds and Berries and Bugs, Oh My! (Above) Hummingbirds can capture insects out of thin air, a practice known as hummingbird hawking. We found that this carnivorous habit may actually be reducing SWD numbers in berry plantings. While growers consider the option of ‘employing’ these partners in IPM, gardeners and homeowners can also encourage hummingbird…Continue Reading Our 2018-2019 Annual Report: #2 Hummingbirds as Partners, and Rodent Exclusion
Our 2018-2019 Annual Report: #1 Director’s Report, and a Look at 30 Years of Grape IPM
(Above) Two splendid September days saw many visitors to our Open House and Twilight Field Day. Master Gardeners, growers, and researchers chatted with NYSIPM staff about our Christmas tree research and wildflower plots. Can establishing pollinator and natural enemy habitat also reduce pest problems? We’re finding out. Project Leaders: Amara Dunn, Elizabeth Lamb, Brian Eshenaur….Continue Reading Our 2018-2019 Annual Report: #1 Director’s Report, and a Look at 30 Years of Grape IPM
It’s Bat Appreciation Day
The sun was set; the night came on apace, And falling dews bewet around the place; The bat takes airy rounds on leathern wings, And the hoarse owl his woeful dirges sings. – John Gay Bats are one of those creatures that instill fear in people. (Thanks, Hollywood.)…Continue Reading It’s Bat Appreciation Day
Help! I found a tick on me! – Spring Edition
It’s spring fever. That is what the name of it is. And when you’ve got it, you want — oh, you don’t quite know what it is you do want, but it just fairly makes your heart ache, you want it so! ~Mark Twain Part of what we want is to be outside! And, with…Continue Reading Help! I found a tick on me! – Spring Edition
National Healthy Schools Day 2020
THE NATIONAL HEALTHY SCHOOL DAY Organization shares this: Most schools and childcares are closed. They can work NOW towards healthier facilities for all children when they re-open. National #HealthySchoolsDay is April 7 and the theme is COVID19 and the impact on children. . National #HealthySchoolsDay is Tuesday, April 7. “This annual day of focus on…Continue Reading National Healthy Schools Day 2020
Timely School IPM Tip #3: Sanitation
This is the third and final post dedicated to tactics of school IPM most appropriate to the current situation of shuttered schools. (If your building is open to provide meals for at-home students, we applaud your efforts!) Post #1 Scouting, Post #2 Exclusion. Sanitation is a third step in structural pest management, as it reduces…Continue Reading Timely School IPM Tip #3: Sanitation
Timely School IPM #2: Excluding Pests
Last week we promoted SCOUTING for pests. Today, we want to emphasize ways to EXCLUDE pests. Exclusion is a fundamental way to reduce pests in buildings. Unfortunately, it’s not always a quick and easy job. Some gaps are easy to see. Improperly fitting door sweeps or gaps along utility lines, for instance. Others, like gaps…Continue Reading Timely School IPM #2: Excluding Pests
Timely School IPM #1: Scouting for Building Pests
While pests like bedbugs are inactive waiting out school re-openings, the old standards like cockroaches and rodents can use quiet buildings to their advantage if habitat needs are met. Food, water and shelter are available in areas such as storage rooms, kitchens, boiler rooms and crawlspaces. If your building is currently unoccupied, pest activity can…Continue Reading Timely School IPM #1: Scouting for Building Pests