“He that plants trees loves others besides himself.” – Thomas Fuller Pollinators have been big news over the past few years. Whether you are a farmer, golf course superintendent, landscaper, gardener, or just a random person walking down the street, it is likely that you have heard the importance of protecting pollinators and doing your…Continue Reading Right Plant, Right Place – For Pollinators
Pests, Pesticides and Proposals: Funding IPM Community Projects
Pests and pesticides—both can pose problems to our health, our environment, and our economy. At the New York State Integrated Pest Management Program (NYS IPM), we help New Yorkers address those problems safely and thoughtfully. How? Through innovative biological, cultural, technological, and educational practices. IPM, in a word. Community IPM takes place in settings as…Continue Reading Pests, Pesticides and Proposals: Funding IPM Community Projects
So many acres, so little time: IPM’s answer to where the pests are
It might not look that way from your car window, but farmland covers 23 percent of New York. It’s the foundation of New York’s multi-billion-dollar agricultural economy—one that benefits all of us, no matter where we live. Most of that cropped land? It’s in field crops: corn, soybeans, alfalfa, and the like. (These crops sustain…Continue Reading So many acres, so little time: IPM’s answer to where the pests are
Climate, Weather, Data: Change Is the Name of the Game
Nearly two years ago, NYS IPM convened “Climate, Weather, Data,” a statewide conference focused on pests and our changing climate. Because it’s here. It’s real. So … what will a shifting climate mean for our farms and forests, our parks and gardens? We brought together researchers, crop consultants, farmers, and more from New York and…Continue Reading Climate, Weather, Data: Change Is the Name of the Game
Ticks don’t care what month it is
Last month we discussed ticks and the freezing weather. I predicted that “as soon as the temperatures rise into the mid-30s (and we know you will be out enjoying the veritable heat wave), ticks will be questing”. February 21, 2018 was an actual heat wave with temperatures reaching the mid-70s in parts of upstate NY….Continue Reading Ticks don’t care what month it is
Planning for pollinators: No time like now
$1.15 billion. That’s what the 450 species of wild pollinators that call New York home contribute to our agricultural economy each year. But we’ve seen alarming declines in pollinators of every stripe and color. Some are bees and wasps. Others are flies and butterflies (and on the night shift, moths). Their loss is worrisome to…Continue Reading Planning for pollinators: No time like now
Maple pest saps maple syrup production
Published on January 25, 2018 as Not in Tents, Just Intense – Courtesy of Paul Hetzler, CCE St. Lawrence County Winter is not a season when many people think about tents, except maybe to be glad they do not live in one. I do have some friends who love winter camping, and the fact they have…Continue Reading Maple pest saps maple syrup production
Pests and pupils don’t mix
Year in and out, outreach to schools has our community IPM staff going back to school. Literally. We work with maintenance staff, nurses, groundskeepers, teachers, and parents. We provide the insight and know-how it takes to keep kids safe from pests and pesticides both. But schools are tricky to manage because—well, think of them as…Continue Reading Pests and pupils don’t mix
Hops on top
Sometimes on a snowy evening there’s fine company to be had with good friends and a six-pack from your local brewery. So settle back and take a moment to savor what it took to get you there. Long ago yet close to home — the mid 19th through the early 20th centuries — New York…Continue Reading Hops on top
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