Tag: biocontrol

One bug at a time: how biocontrol helps you, even in winter

Sure it’s winter. But many greenhouse growers work year-round. And what’s this about biocontrols? In fields, orchards, vineyards, and greenhouses—especially greenhouses—biocontrols are the predators and parasites that keep pests in check, minus the pesticides. What’s special about greenhouses? They’re where pests consistently find plenty of food, just-right temperatures, and little to stop them from bounding out…Continue Reading One bug at a time: how biocontrol helps you, even in winter

New biocontrol specialist joins NYS IPM

Hello! My name is Amara Dunn, and I am excited to have joined the New York State Integrated Pest Management (NYSIPM) program as the biocontrol specialist. Prior to starting this position, I studied vegetable diseases at Cornell University and taught in the Biology Department at Hobart and William Smith Colleges. I enjoy finding new ways to…Continue Reading New biocontrol specialist joins NYS IPM

Biocontrols for Invasive Pest Help Save Mountain Forests

Biocontrols — organisms that help keep serious pests in check — are a key component of IPM. And sometimes they’re the only hope. Consider the lovely, lacy-needled hemlock tree, a member of the pine family. “The hemlock is a foundation species in our forests,” says Mark Whitmore, a forest entomologist at Cornell University and a…Continue Reading Biocontrols for Invasive Pest Help Save Mountain Forests

Invasives are pests! Learn more at our July IPM conference.

We tend to default to bugs — to insects — when we think about pests. But plant diseases and weeds are pests too. And all threaten our fields and farms, our forests and streams, our homes and workplaces. Pests provide no end of challenges — especially pests that come from afar. Among IPM’s strengths? Researching…Continue Reading Invasives are pests! Learn more at our July IPM conference.

Keep Off the Grass? IPM for Anyone With a Lawnmower

Now that spring has arrived and you’ve dusted off the lawn mower … PUBLISHED ON MAY 3RD, 2017, CANTON, N.Y. | Courtesy Paul Hetzler, CCE St. Lawrence County As a kid of about five, I became suspicious of lawns. In a rare moment of TV viewing, I had seen a public-service ad wherein a bundle…Continue Reading Keep Off the Grass? IPM for Anyone With a Lawnmower

Earth Day. It’s Every Day. Especially for Farmers.

For farmers everywhere, but perhaps most of all for organic farmers, every day has to be Earth Day. And since what matters for farmers matters for us all, every day is Earth Day for you, me, everyone. Take farmer Lou Lego. He earned an Excellence in IPM award earlier this year for his inspired, inventive…Continue Reading Earth Day. It’s Every Day. Especially for Farmers.

Every Day is Earth Day — and the IPM Connection

Consider our forests and farms. Our rivers and lakes. And yes, our homes and workplaces. Wherever we live, work or play — when we care for our surroundings, we’re celebrating Earth Day. Belong to a community garden? Got a garden by the house? You can welcome Earth Day by welcoming the critters that make any…Continue Reading Every Day is Earth Day — and the IPM Connection

Earth Day IPM for birds and bees — and native plants that nourish them

We’re starting this post with a detour. But we have little choice. Before you go shopping around for landscape plants, you need to know the backstory. Invasive plants, trees, shrubs, vines and flowers, many of them brought from afar because yes, they’re lovely in the landscape, have become a bit too much of a good…Continue Reading Earth Day IPM for birds and bees — and native plants that nourish them

Invasive species New York: save the date for IPM conference

We’re planning a statewide conference covering the A to Z of invasive plants, pathogens and pests that plague our farms, our forests, our homes — us. We’ve got a superb lineup of speakers — along with a wide array of take-home IPM messages from educators at tables in the lobby and two adjacent classrooms. Join…Continue Reading Invasive species New York: save the date for IPM conference

Nature’s Herbicides and Lessons from Black Walnut Trees

You’re prepping your garden for winter, muttering about the sapling black walnut trees the squirrels planted on your behalf mere inches away — and the mother tree is in your neighbor’s yard. You know you can’t put off removing them: this might be the last year your loppers can manage the task. Black walnuts get…Continue Reading Nature’s Herbicides and Lessons from Black Walnut Trees