What’s on for Day Two of our annual conference? “BIOLOGICAL CONTROL: Partners in the Garden” – Think IPM Blog

Learn to recognize and encourage your existing biological control partners. Have you ever noticed hoverflies around your flowers or seen ladybug larvae munching on aphids in the vegetable garden? Taking advantage of the natural enemies already occurring in your garden is an excellent way to reduce pesticide use.

Tuesday, March 15—Wednesday, March 16

Have you registered? Visit our Annual Conference page for more information and Registration Links (Pay by credit card, or pay by check).

On Wednesday:

graphic shows photo of Mary Centrella and information: "Using Pesticides Properly with Beneficials in Mind" Mary will discuss how to use pesticides properly, follow label language to mitigate risks to beneficials, the pesticide registration process, and how known risks to beneficials are identified and incorporated into the environmental hazard statements that appear on the label. Presenter: Mary Centrella. With a Bachelor’s degree in Zoology from the University of Wyoming, and a Doctorate from Cornell, she’s now the Director of the Cornell Cooperative Extension Pesticide Safety Education Program (CCE-PSEP). Mary’s experience in pollinator protection research and pesticide safety education gives her a unique perspective that she is looking forward to sharing with you today. — Wednesday, March 16th, 9:00am

graphic shows Alejandro Calixto and information: Learn how to raise predatory insects and mites at home so you and your garden can be ready to withstand those pesky pests. — Wednesday, March 16 9:40am

graphic shows photo of Jody Gangloff-Kaufmann and information: "Saving Spiders and Welcoming Wasps" Natural enemies of garden pests may be visibly active on nice days, but what other habitats do they use? Where do they spend the winter? Improve the abundance of predators and parasitoids by learning some key conservation strategies. Presenter: Jody Gangloff-Kaufmann, Community IPM Coordinator. Jody's Ph.D. in Entomology is key for finding solutions and promoting IPM in schools, homes, municipalities and other settings. She's created training programs and outreach that include IPM for bed bugs, ticks, mosquitoes, other public health pests and invasive species. She is also interested in the protection of pollinators and native plants in landscapes. — Wednesday, March 16th, 10:20am

To round out the two-day conference, Attendees will have the chance to play BIOCONTROL BINGO and complete a short survey that makes them eligible for a flash drive full of this year’s resources.