One of the first springtime insects that homeowners observe are ground bees. These insects create ant-hill like mounds in areas of bare soil with a ¼” opening in the center (about the thickness of a pencil). On warm, sunny days there may be dozens to hundreds of bees flying low to the ground among the…Continue Reading Ground Bees Come in Peace
Lawn care and the spring itch
“April hath put a spirit of youth in everything.” ― William Shakespeare It’s Spring (with a capital S) and the urge to get outside and work in the yard is mounting. When it comes to your lawn, what should you be thinking about and doing as April progresses? Ahhh, spring. Waiting for the grass to…Continue Reading Lawn care and the spring itch
IPM | Looking Back to Look Ahead Circa 1986
Last week we announced that — now that we’re 30 — we’ve planned a whole different take on our Year in Review. For prepping for NYS IPM’s 30th anniversary takes looking back — back to times when IPM was a whole new ballgame for farmers statewide. What are we finding? Take these “for instances”: Our…Continue Reading IPM | Looking Back to Look Ahead Circa 1986
For IPM, Looking Back Means Looking Ahead
2015 marks our 30th anniversary here at NYS IPM. With age comes a new approach to our Year in Review — to our annual report. Yes, as always our focus is real science for real people. But “commodity driven” has long been our organizing principle. This year our Year in Review will be different —…Continue Reading For IPM, Looking Back Means Looking Ahead
Beauty and the Battle Against Invasive Plants: IPM Can Help
In New York and around the world, invasive plants rank among the top reasons that the stability of native ecosystems are under threat. Consider the prickly barberries that swallow woodland understories whole. The Norway maples that outcompete sugar maples and out-shade wildflowers. The — well, let’s just stop. Because it doesn’t get better. Sure, those…Continue Reading Beauty and the Battle Against Invasive Plants: IPM Can Help
The squirrels are coming, the squirrels are coming!!
“Spring work is going on with joyful enthusiasm.” ― John Muir In other words, birthing season will soon be upon us. And though it’s fun watching animal families grow up in our backyards, it’s best that they don’t give birth within our buildings. Because female squirrels seek safe places to raise their young in late…Continue Reading The squirrels are coming, the squirrels are coming!!
Rats, Fleas, the Media … Part II
When Cornell’s NYS IPM story — based on IPM entomologist Matt Frye’s research — hit the news a week ago, it made quite a splash. Back then, nearly 20 media outlets told the story: how Frye found over 6,500 lice, mites, and fleas on 113 rats live-trapped in New York City. And — that among…Continue Reading Rats, Fleas, the Media … Part II
News Flash! IPM Research — Rats, Fleas, and the Plague
Norway rats are your consummate “where you go, we go also” species, being as well adapted to urban living as we are. Meaning that the diseases we’ve blamed on them are most likely grounded in reality. Yet widespread instances of the most spectacular of those diseases — the Black Plague that devastated much of the…Continue Reading News Flash! IPM Research — Rats, Fleas, and the Plague
Invasive Pest A Killer in the Cabbage Patch: Growers, Take This Survey
The invasive swede midge has been slowly but relentlessly making its way into the Northeast. This tiny pest is a baddie, sometimes causing complete loss of entire plantings of cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, and their cabbage-family kin. New York is the top producer for fresh cabbage nationwide — and second in processing cabbage. The market value…Continue Reading Invasive Pest A Killer in the Cabbage Patch: Growers, Take This Survey
Snow, Frost a Big Help for Head Start on Quality Turf — or Crops
Are you in charge of maintaining athletic fields? If you’re looking for a two or three week head start on getting your fields ready for spring — consider a proven IPM practice: dormant overseeding. (Farmers, this can work for cool-season grains and forage crops. And homeowners — here’s a trick from the pros that you…Continue Reading Snow, Frost a Big Help for Head Start on Quality Turf — or Crops