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
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
Ticks and the freezing weather
“That is a bracing cold, an invigorating cold. Lord, is it cold!” – Sheldon Cooper It is inevitable that when the temperatures drop below zero we are asked “Will this extended period of extremely low temps kill off ticks?” First, the bad news. We do not expect the cold to directly affect blacklegged or dog…Continue Reading Ticks and the freezing weather
It’s (still) tick season — and will be evermore
Sorry to bring up a sore subject, but it’s still tick season. And will be all year round. What … during winter? Really? Yes. But for starters here’s your pop quiz: A tick’s lifespan is three months ten months twenty-four months (that is, about two years) The best way to remove a tick is to…Continue Reading It’s (still) tick season — and will be evermore
Steer Clear of Ticks and the Diseases They Carry — the IPM Way
These days if you live near anything green — a suburban development, however humble or high-class; a neighborhood park where shrubs and meadow flowers grow — best you’d read up on ticks, be they black-legged ticks (aka deer ticks) or lone-star ticks (so named for the silvery white dot on the female’s back). While you’re…Continue Reading Steer Clear of Ticks and the Diseases They Carry — the IPM Way
It’s Hay Fever Season — and the Culprit Unmasked
[OK … so this isn’t strictly IPM. But it does shed light on a glorious native plant that gets a bad rap for making the allergy-prone among us miserable — and its weedy relative, found in city and country alike, that’s to blame. An IPM solution? Prevention, for one — education about weeding weedy city…Continue Reading It’s Hay Fever Season — and the Culprit Unmasked
Invasives IPM Update: ALB and oak wilt stand-ins
Back in mid-July, during Invasive Species Awareness Species Week, we wrote a post using asian longhorns beetle (ALB) and oak wilt as stand-ins for the multitude of invasive species already here or knocking at our doorstep. And we promised we’d tell you what to do should you suspect these two big-time baddies might be in…Continue Reading Invasives IPM Update: ALB and oak wilt stand-ins
Abandoned fields: Weedy disaster or IPM opportunity?
Farmers across New York have been struggling with the overabundance of rain this year — meaning that some cornfields never got planted. The result? Weeds have really taken off. So what? If there’s no crop for weeds to compete with, what’s the danger? Weeds make seeds, lots of seeds, which could cause a disaster in…Continue Reading Abandoned fields: Weedy disaster or IPM opportunity?