Thank You!! Thank You!! Conservation Biological …...2015/09/09 · •Big-Eyed Bugs •Damsel...

1

Photo: Debbie Roos

Conservation Biological Control Short CourseUniversity of Rhode Island, East Farm

Jarrod Fowler, Conservation Biocontrol Specialist, The Xerces Society

Kelly Gill, Pollinator Conservation Specialist, The Xerces Society & USDA NRCS

Gary Casabona, State Biologist, USDA NRCS Rhode Island

Special thanks to:

Gary Casabona, State Biologist, USDA NRCS

Heather Faubert, University of Rhode Island

Dr. Steve Alm, University of Rhode Island

Jarrod Fowler, Xerces Society

Jillian Vento & Sara Morris, Xerces Society

Xerces Society Members & Supporters

Xerces Society Sponsors & Partners:

Photo: Mace Vaughan (Xerces Society)

Thank You!! Thank You!!

What is the Xerces Society?

Photos: California NRCS and Ed Ross

Since 1971, the Society has worked to

protect wildlife through the conservation

of invertebrates and their habitat.

Xerces blue butterfly

(Glaucopsyche xerces),

the first U.S. butterfly to

go extinct due to human

activities.

Endangered species

Photos: Joel Sartore, Matthew Shepherd, Carly Voight, David Funk

Pollinator conservation

Butterfly conservation Aquatic conservation


Pollinator Conservation Program

• Habitat restoration & protection

>200,000 acres of U.S. farmland

• Applied research

• Technical guides

• Training sessions

• Documenting at-risk pollinators

• Citizen science programs

• Conservation policy guidance

• Education and outreach

• TSP / consulting services

• Staff Backgrounds: farming,

ecology, entomology, teaching,

beekeeping, wildlife conservation,

habitat restoration, native seed

production, +more

© Jen Knutson

Photos: Brianna Borders, Jolie Goldenetz Dollar, Adam Varenhorst, Jen Knutson, Eric Mader, Kelly Gill


USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service

• Joint Staff Biologist positions with USDA NRCS

• Technical assistance for Farm Bill programs

• Establish pollinator and/or beneficial insect habitat

• Financial support for conservation

• Learn more www.nrcs.usda.gov

Farm Bill Programs for Pollinators

Photo: USDA-NRCS, USDA-ARS

http://www.nrcs.usda.gov

2

What is the Xerces Society? What is the Xerces Society?

Xerces Society – Pesticide Risk Reduction and Training

• Training for agricultural professionals, farmers, and gardeners

• Guidelines on pesticide risk reduction strategies for farmers

• Natural pest control systems (using “good bugs” to manage “bad bugs”)

Course Outline

• Conservation Biological Control

• Common Beneficial Insects

• Break

• Designing & Restoring Beneficial

Insect Habitat

• Pest Case Studies

• Lunch 12:00-12:45

• Habitat Assessment Guide (intro)

• Field Tour (1:00)

• Farm Practices for Beneficial Insects

• USDA Programs and Practices for

Beneficial Insect Conservation

• Additional Resources and Q&A

• COURSE EVALUATIONS

• HAND IN YOUR CEU SHEETS

Farming with Native Beneficial Insects

Photo: Kelly GiIl Photo: Jennifer Hopwood

Why Farm With Beneficial Insects?

Insect contribute $22 billion to

the recreation industry as food

for wildlife (bird watching)

Native, wild pollinators

contribute at least $3 billion in

crop pollination in the U.S.

Wild natural enemies protect

more than $4.5 billion in crop

production in the U.S.

Clean up grazing lands saving

ranchers more than $380

million, recycle nutrients

Losey & Vaughan. 2006. The Economic Value of Ecological

Services Provided by Insects. Bioscience 56 (4). Photos: VADGIF, Piotr Naskrecki, Edward Ross, USDA-NRCS

Insects Provide Ecosystem Services

Photo: Nancy Adamson

Assassin bug eating

stink bug on raspberry

“The greatest single factor in preventing insects from overwhelming

the rest of the world is the internecine warfare which they carry out

among themselves” - Dr. Robert Metcalf


3

The estimated value of pest control by wild beneficial insects is

$4.5–12 billion annually for U.S. crops, and $100 billion worldwide.

Losey & Vaughan. 2006. The Economic Value of Ecological Services Provided by Insects. Bioscience 56

(4). Pimental et al. 1997. Economic and Environmental Benefits of Biodiversity. BioScience:47 (11) Photo © Margy Green, www.margygreen.com


The estimated value of pest control by wild beneficial insects is

$4.5–12 billion annually for U.S. crops, and $100 billion worldwide.

Losey & Vaughan. 2006. The Economic Value of Ecological Services Provided by Insects. Bioscience 56

(4). Pimental et al. 1997. Economic and Environmental Benefits of Biodiversity. BioScience:47 (11) Photo © Margy Green, www.margygreen.com


Parasitoid wasp

attacking a mottled

tortoise beetle


Beneficial Insects and

Biological Control

Using living organisms to

provide pest management

3 Types

• Classical/Introduced

• Augmentative

• Conservation


Scoliid wasps parasitize

Japanese beetle grubs


Classical/Introduced

• Releasing non-native species

• Expectation of establishment

• Introductions of species and

resulting interactions irreversible

Photos: Thelma Heidel-Baker

Lady beetles eat up to 5,000

aphids during their lifetime


Augmentative

• Increase numbers of existing

natural enemies

• Purchase and release mass-

reared beneficial insects

• Problems with releasing

convergent lady beetles

(Hippodamia convergens)

Photo: Adam Varenhorst


Conservation Biological Control

• Merger of farming and ecology

• Increases beneficial insect

numbers and diversity

• Providing food, shelter, and

other habitat


4


In conservation biological control,

habitat is the key ingredient…

Great golden digger wasp

sipping wingstem nectar


Photo: Eric MaderPhoto: Jennifer Hopwood

Research shows

• The amount of natural habitat on a farm directly

influences beneficial insect abundance

• If more than 20% of a farm is diverse habitat, pest

control by beneficial insects occurs throughout fields

Bianchi, et al. 2011. Proc. R. Soc. B 273: 1715-1727

Carvell, et al. 2007. J of Applied Ecology 44: 29-40.

Potts, et al. 2003. Ecology 84:2628-2642.

Tscharntke, et al. 1998. J of Applied Ecology 35:708-719.


Habitat is the KEY IngredientBianchi et al 2011: Landscape complexity enhances natural beneficial insect

populations in 74% of cases

Photos: Matthew Roth and Lynn Betts

Pests thrive in monocultures… But beneficial insects need more

Bianchi, F. J. J. A., C. J. H. Booij, and T. Tscharntke. 2011. Sustainable pest regulation in agricultural landscapes:

a review on landscape composition, biodiversity and natural pest control. Proc. R. Soc. B 273: 1715-1727.


Natural habitat provides

Food sources: pollen, nectar, alternate prey

Shelter: overwintering and egg-laying sites,

refuge from disturbance

Photo: Kelly Gill


Habitat: Alternate Food

• Many predatory insects eat pollen

or nectar when prey are not

available

• Some switch diets depending on

their life stage

Photos: Mace Vaughan, Alex Wild, Ed Ross



• Wildflowers help sustain beneficial

insects when crops are not in bloom

• Greater abundance of beneficial

insects closely associated with native

palnts vs non-native plants



5


Habitat can harbor alternate

prey or hosts when crop pests

are absent or in low numbers

Photos: Alex Wild

Lady beetle larva on

milkweed eating oleander

aphids (not a crop pest)


Habitat: Shelter

• Sites for over-wintering, egg-laying,

refuge from disturbance

• Bunch grasses, brush piles, rock piles,

stumps/logs, untilled areas

Photos: insecte.org; Alex Wild

Nesting Isodontia wasp

(grasshopper hunter)

Lacewing eggs



Lacewing larva feeding

on soybean aphids

Benefits of Conservation

Biological Control

• Ecological pest control

• Alternative to insecticides

• Natural resources conservation

• Increases farm diversity

• Reduces environmental risk

• Fulfill biodiversity requirements

for organic certification (NOP)



bumble bee

on wild bergamot

Benefits to other beneficial insects

• Native, wild bees

• Managed bees


Photos: Adam Varenhorst

Benefits to other beneficial insects

• Monarch adults and caterpillars

• Many other butterfly species

monarch butterfly

on swamp milkweed



Threats to Beneficial Insects

6

Photo: Griggs Dakota

Unprecedented scale of habitat loss

• 9+ million acres of grassland/prairie

converted to cropland since 2008

• Largest conversion of habitat to

cropland since before the Dust Bowl

Tough Times for Insects

Unprecedented scale of habitat loss

• Simple landscapes favor pest outbreaks

and support fewer beneficial insects

• Lawns have little habitat value

• Exotic ornamental plants do not support as

many beneficial insects as native plants


Photos: Howard F. Schwartz, Colorado State University, Bugwood.org; Brianna Borders

Simplified landscapes

• Lack habitat to support natural

enemies and biological control

• Pest densities reach economic

thresholds more frequently

• Common response is insecticide

treatments that decimate beneficial

insect populations


Photo: USGS


An unprecedented rise in insecticide use

Photo: USGS


An unprecedented rise in insecticide use An unprecedented rise in insecticide use

Photo: USGS


7


Photo: USGS



Photo: USGS


Integrated Pest Management (IPM)

• Multiple techniques to minimize

economic and environmental risks

• Reduce pesticide use while still

protecting the crop

1. Prevent conditions that favor

insect pests and plant disease

2. Establish pest thresholds

3. Monitor pest and beneficial

insect populations

4. Control pests that exceed

economic thresholds

Photo: Thelma Heidel-Baker

Cannot Rely On A Single Method

Biological control is a critical

component of any IPM strategy

Conditions that favor pests

• Introduction outside native range

• Becomes disease vector

• Host shift in native insect – e.g.,

CPB, apple maggot

• Simplified landscapes – e.g.,

monocultures, loss of biodiversity

• Agricultural practices – e.g.,

continuous cropping, pesticides

• Lack of IPM – e.g., insects rapidly

adapt to environment, pesticide

resistance


Photo: Whitney Cranshaw, Colorado State University, Bugwood.org



crab spider

eating a fly

Questions?

• Up next: common beneficial insect

• Get to know your insect allies!

1

Common Beneficial Insect Groups




Beneficial Insects

• AKA

• “Natural Enemies”

• “Biocontrol Agents”

• Majority of insect species

• Perform ecosystem services

• Supporting

• Provisioning

• Regulating

• Regulate insect pests

• Predators

• Parasitoids

Photo: Susan Ellis, bugwood.org


Photo: Alex Wild

Lacewing larva

eating aphids

Predators and Parasitoids

Insects

• Beetles (Coleoptera)

• Bugs (Hemiptera)

• Flies (Diptera)

• Lacewings (Neuroptera)

• Mantids (Mantodea)

• Wasps (Hymenoptera)


Photo: Sam Droege, USGS


Non-Insects

• Centipedes

• Harvestmen

• Mites

• Pseudoscorpions

• Spiders

• Entomopathogens

• Fungi

• Nematodes


Photo: Chaswick Chap

Predators

Hunt, kill, and consume pests

• Commonly generalists

• ~ 1/25 – 4 inches

• Ravenous feeders

• Shared regulation of pests


Photo:8thstar

Parasitoids

Hunt, consume, and kill pests

• Commonly specialists

• Often < 1/25 inch

• Inconspicuous

• Susceptible to pesticides

2


“Generalists”

• Feed on a variety of prey

eggs, larvae, pupae, or

adults

• Persist in environments

when pests are not

present

• Reduce pest

populations, but not

always below thresholds

Photo: MJ Hatfield

Spined soldier bug

attacking caterpillar


“Specialists”

• Feed on limited range of

related insect eggs,

larvae, pupae, or adults

• Persist in environments

only with low-levels of

prey

• Reduce pest

populations, but not

always below thresholds

Wasps emerging

from stink bug eggs

Photo: Bugwood, David Cappaert


Photo: Mnolf

Monitoring

• Observing

• Netting

• Trapping


Farming with Native Beneficial Insects, Pages 183 – 207


Photos: Alex Wild, David James, Thelma Heidel-Baker

Assassin bug

Ambush bug Minute pirate bug

Predators: True Bugs

• Assassin Bugs

• Thread-legged Bugs

• Ambush Bugs

• Big-Eyed Bugs

• Damsel Bugs

• Minute Pirate Pugs

• Predatory Stink Bugs


Photo: Tom Potterfield


Assassin Bugs

• Narrow-neck with curved and 3-segmented beak

• 0.2 – 1.5 inches

• Generalist predators of caterpillars, beetles, leafhoppers, and more

Assassin bug nymph

eating its prey

3


Photo: Debbie Roos


Ambush Bugs

• Raptorial legs

• Masters of camouflage

• Capture prey 10 X their size

• 0.2 – 0.5 inches

• May drink nectar when prey

are scare

Photo: Leslie Abram




Damsel Bugs

• Slender with 4 segmented beak and raptorial legs

• Some species have reduced wings

• 0.1 – 0.5 inches

• Prey on small soft-bodied arthropods



Minute Pirate Bugs

• Teardrop to flattened oval-

shaped bodies with triangular

wing patterns

• Commonly < 0.25 inch

• Prey upon small soft bodies

arthropods

• Consume pollen, nectar, and

sap

Photos: Thelma Heidel-Baker, HJ Yoo,

Orius insidiosus nymph and adult

eating soybean aphid



Predatory Stink Bugs

• Shield-shaped with enlarged beak

• 0.2 – 0.5 inches

• Consume soft-bodied prey

• May consume nectar and pollen

Photo: Tomasz Gorny (Nemo5576)


Photo: Mace Vaughan

Predators: Mantids

• Triangular heads with

chewing mouthparts

• Raptorial legs

• 0.4 - >6.5 inches

• Extreme generalists


Eggs

Larva

Photos: Sarah Foltz Jordan, Sylvia Delfino, Thelma Heidel-Baker

Predators: Net-Winged Insects

Lacewings

• Eggs are stalked

• Larvae: Alligator-like with large jaws

• Adults: Nocturnal with copper-colored eyes

• Adults feed on prey, nectar, honeydew, or pollen

4



Predators: Beetles

• Checkered Beetles

• Firefly Beetles

• Ground Beetles

• Tiger Beetles

• Lady Beetles

• Soft-Winged Flower Beetles

• Soldier Beetles

• Rove Beetles


Photos: Sarah Foltz Jordan

Predators: Beetles

Firefly Beetles

• Soft-bodies beetles with

concealed heads

• 0.2 – 0.3 inches

• Larvae eat slugs, snails,

and soft-bodied arthropods

• Adults feed on nectar and

pollen (native Asteraceae)


Photos: Tom Murray; MJ Hatfield

Predators: Beetles

Ground Beetles

• Hard-bodied and agile beetles

• 0.3 – 2.6 inches

• Ravenous nocturnal predators

• Some eat pollen, berries, seeds


Photo: Katja Schultz from Washington, D.C., USA

Predators: Beetles

Tiger Beetles

• Straight-sided elytra and slender legs

• Sickle-shaped mandibles

• 0.3 – 2.8 inches

• Generalist predators of open habitats


Photo: Thelma Heidel-Baker; Alex Wild

Predators: Beetles

Lady Beetles

• Round, oval, or oblong

• With or without markings

• 0.04 – 0.39 inches

• Crawling larvae feed on prey

• Adults feed on prey, pollen,

and nectar


Photo: Debbie Roos

Predators: Beetles

Soldier Beetles

• Soft-bodied with leathery elytra

• Brightly colored

• 0.1 – 0.6 inches

• Adults and larvae consume soft-

bodied prey

• Adults feed on nectar and pollen

5


Predators: Flies

• Hover Flies

• Dance Flies

• Long-legged Flies

• Robber Flies

• Snipe Flies

Photo: Susan Ellis, bugwood.org


Photos: Mario Ambrosino, Sarah Foltz Jordan

Predators: Flies

Flower or Hover Flies

• Mimic bees or wasps

• Lapping mouthparts

• 0.04 – 1.38 inches

• Larvae feed on soft-bodied

arthropods

• Adults feed on nectar and

pollen


Photo: Andre Karwath

Predators: Flies

Dance Flies

• Elongate with distinct neck

• Long and pointed mouthparts

• Slender, often raptorial legs

• 0.04 – 0.55 inches

• Larvae detritivores or predators

• Adults feed on prey and nectar


Photo: Matt Reinbold

Predators: Flies

Long-Legged Flies

• Slender flies with long legs

• Blue, copper, or green bodies

• Piercing mouthparts

• 0.04 – 0.35 inches

• Larvae and adults eat small

invertebrates


Photo: Kelly Gill

Predators: Flies

Robber Flies

• Elongated, tapered abdomen

• “Bearded” face and piercing

mouthparts

• Bee or wasp mimics

• 0.2 – 1.2 inches

• Generalist predators


Photo: James Cane

Predators: Wasps

• Crabronidae

• Pompilidae

• Sphecidae

• Vespidae

6


Photo: Hectonichus

Predators: Wasps

Sphecidae – Thread-waisted Wasps

• Thread-waisted abdomen

• 0.4 – 1.2 inches

• Larvae feed on paralyzed caterpillars,

grasshoppers, or spiders

• Adults feed on nectar


Photo: Sarah Foltz Jordan

Predators: Wasps

Vespidae – Hornets,

Mason Wasps, Paper

Wasps, Potter Wasps,

Yellow Jackets

• Constricted eyes

• Horse-shoe shaped

• Larvae feed on

caterpillars

• Adults feed on nectar,

pollen

Polistes paper wasp


Parasitoids

Wasps and Flies

• Eggs laid in or on specific hosts

• Larvae consume and eventually

kill hosts (e.g. Alien)

• Small insects, but highly

effective natural enemies

Photo: Alex Wild

Parasitoid wasp laying

eggs in an aphid



Photos: Thelma Heidel-Baker, Matthew Roth and Alex Wild

Process of parasitizing a

hornworm caterpillar

Parasitoids: Wasps

Parasitica

• Diverse forms and life histories

• 0.01 - 1.00 inches

• Specialists or Generalists

• PolyDNA Virus


Photo: Connie Schmotzer

Parasitoids: Wasps

Scoliidae, Tiphiidae – Scarab

Hunters, Flower Wasps

• Full-bodied, hairy wasps

• 0.2 – 2.0 inches

• Endoparasitoids of grubs

• Adults consume nectar and pollen


Photos: Bill Bouton, Katja Schultz from Washington, D.C., USA

Parasitoid Flies:

Tachinids

• Appear similar to house or

flesh flies

• Stiff bristled abdomens

• Some mimic bees or wasps

• 0.1 – 0.6 inches

• Generalist or specialist larvae

• Adults eat nectar and pollen

7



Non-Insects

• Centipedes

• Harvestmen

• Mites

• Pseudoscorpions

• Spiders

• Entomopathogens

• Fungi

• Nematodes

Photo: Chen-Pan Liao


Photo: SEA

Predators and Parasitoids:

Nematodes

• “Roundworms”

• Juveniles ambush or cruise for hosts

• Explosive populations

• Prey upon many soil-dwelling pests


Photo: Stein Florist

Parasitoids: Fungi

• Often Ascomycota, Sac Fungi

• Infect during asexual or sexual phases

• Disable and kill insects

• Generalists or Specialists

Photos: Surendra Dara, Karrie Buckman, Sarah Foltz Jordan

Aphid with Pandora neoaphidis Fly with Entomophthora muscae



Conservation Strategies?

1

Photo: Kelly Gill

Designing and Restoring Habitat

Wildflower Strips

Mixed Vegetable Farm, NJ

Xerces-NRCS Habitat Installation Guides

and Biology Tech Notes

• Step-by-step recipes for creating

pollinator and/or beneficial insect habitat

• Available for several regions of the U.S

Creating Habitat for Beneficial Insects

Creating Habitat for Beneficial Insects

Planning considerations

• What is already there?

• Protect existing natural areas!

• Habitat deficiencies

• Plant selection

• Crops and common pests

• Location and configuration

• Accessibility

• Perennial vs. annual

• Protection from pesticides

• Multiple benefits

Photo: Kelly Gill

Plant selection

• Perennial plants

• Focus on native plants

• Abundant pollen and nectar

• Bloom throughout the year

• Focus on availability and cost

• Seed mixes with PLS

Perennial Habitat for Beneficial Insects

Pollinator Garden

Lehigh Gap Nature Center, PA

Photos: Elaine Haug NRCS, Matthew Shepherd; Mace Vaughan, Eric Mader, Jeff McMillan NRCS, Berry Botanic Garden, Nancy Adamson

maple

(Acer)

false indigo

(Baptisia)

goldenrod

(Solidago)

willow

(Salix)

mountain mint

(Pycnanthemum)

aster

(various genera)blazing star

(Liatris)

A diversity of pollen and nectar plants and continuous bloom


Photos: Rod Gilbert, Eric Eldredge, Adam Varenhorst

James, D.G. 2010. Attraction of beneficial insects to flowering endemic

perennial plants in the Yakima Valley. Irrigated Agriculture Research and

Extension Center, Washington State University. Unpublished raw data.

Native Milkweeds (Asclepias spp.)

• High quality nectar source for bees

• Obligate host plants for monarch

caterpillars

• Top species for attracting beneficial

insects (lady beetles, parasitic wasps,

pirate bugs, syrphid flies) in western

US vineyards


2


Native trees / shrubs

• Red maple (Acer ruburm)

• Black willow (Salix nigra)

• Serviceberry (Amelanchier canadensis)

• Black chokeberry (Aronia melanocarpa)

• New Jersey tea (Ceanothus americanus)

• Pasture rose (Rosa carolina)

• Southern arrowwood (Viburnum dentatum)

• Staghorn sumac (Rhus typhina)

• Elderberry (Sambucus canadensis)


Photo: Don Keirstead


The Habitat Restoration Process

Perennial Plantings

Photo: Eric Mader

Habitat Installation: Key Characteristics

Evaluate site conditions

• Soil condition / type

• Accessibility

• Ability to irrigate

• Protection from pesticides

Photo: USDA-ARSPhotos: Jessa Guisse, Xerces

Evaluate site conditions

• Site history

• Weed pressure

• Pest problems

Photos: Jessa Guisse, Xerces

Habitat Installation: Key Characteristics

Photo: Matthew Shepherd

MOST IMPORTANT PART OF THE

RETORATION PROCESS!!

• Good site preparation is critical

• Removal of weeds

• May require more than one season

• Focus on invasive, persistent

perennial weeds

Habitat Installation: Site Preparation

3

Photo: Jessa Guisse (Xerces)

Herbicide treatment:

• Non-selective and non-persistent

• Conventional or organic herbicide

• Timing: 6 to 12 months

• Early spring – fall, weeds 4-6 inches

• Avoid tillage


Photos: Eric Mader, Alex Stone (OSU),

Disk and/or Tine Harrow

Repeated shallow cultivation

• Early spring – deep cultivation (1x)

• Then - shallow cultivation (2 in.)

• Repeat - 4 to 6 week intervals

• Irrigation may be needed

• ONLY use implements that can be set

to shallow depth (scratching surface)

Sweep Cultivator


Cultivation + Smother Crop

• Buckwheat Example

• Spring: Till, before winter/spring

annuals flower

• Two weeks later: Shallow cultivation

(sweep / harrow)

• Two weeks later: Repeat shallow

cultivation - IMMEDIATELY seed crop

• Six weeks later: Mow, remove debris,

and rebroadcast (70 lb/ac) OR drill

seed (50 lb/acre)

• Six weeks later: Mow or crimp and

leave debris on surface

Photo: Mace Vaughan (Xerces Society)Photos: Commons


Photos: Jessa Guisse (Xerces)


Soil Solarization

• Timing: 6+ months

• Mow, prepare bed, irrigate

• Use UV stabilized, clear plastic

• 6 ml high tunnel plastic

• NO airflow, repair rips

Photos: Eric Mader


Spring Summer

Fall Wildflowers!

Seed bed preparation

• Burn or rake off debris

• Light harrowing is ok – deep

tillage is not!

• Do not to bring more dormant

weed seeds to the surface

• Lightly pack if needed

Photos: Mace Vaughan

Not ready for planting!

Ready for planting!

Photos: Don Keirstead

Habitat Installation: Preparing to Plant

4

Habitat Installation: Seeding Methods

Photos: Jessa Guisse, Don Keirstead, Kelly Gill

Preparing to Seed:

• Plant in the dormant season

• Bulk up the seed mix with an

inert carrier (e.g. sand) – for

broadcasting

Photos: Brianna Borders

Habitat Installation: Broadcast Seeding

Immediately after broadcast seeding

• Roll seed to ensure seed-soil contact

• Cultipacker

• Lawn roller

• Chain harrow

• Lawn rake

Photos: Mace Vaughan, Jessa Guisse

Habitat Installation: Broadcast Seeding

Native Seed Drills:

• Multiple seed sizes

• Plant directly in stubble (no till)

• Tye, Truax, Great Plains

(common manufacturers)

Brillion Drop Seeders:

• Made for sowing turf and

pasture grasses, also alfalfa

and clover

• Works with native seed (change

seed box agitators)

• Requires smooth, cultivated

seed bed (not like this photo!)

CALIBRATE AND MONITOR

Photos: Jessa Guisse

Habitat Installation: Drills and Drop Seeders

Photos: Eric Mader

Management During Establishment

The Year After Seeding

• Weed treatments as needed

Targeted herbicide application

• Grass-selective herbicides

• Spot spraying or wicking

Mowing

• Use only with perennial mixes

• High mow ( > 8 in.) to prevent

annual weeds from re-seeding

Other options

• Weed wacker, flame weeder

target annual weeds

• Hand weeding!

Mow the wild radish to find…

wildflower seedlings underneath!

Mowing, grazing, burning are best at

infrequent intervals

• Disturbance to no more than 1/3 of habitat

area each year

• Allow for long recovery times after

management (e.g. after grazing)

• Time management for when most effective

against target, or during dormant season

Photos: USDA-ARS, Audubon California

Long-Term Management

5

Transplants

• Supplemental irrigation

• Mulch

• Animal guards

• Mechanical transplanters

Photos: Mace Vaughan

Habitat Installation: Transplanting

Photo: Kelly Gill

Mixed Vegetable CSA

Biodynamic Farm, NY

Habitat Restoration Opportunities

Opportunities to expand or

enhance perennial habitat

• Field borders

• Buffers, filter strips

• Retired cropland, preserves,

open space

• Hedgerows

• Windbreaks

• Ground covers

• Edges / transitional zones

*Pesticide-free areas

Photos: New Hampshire NRCS

Every Farm Has Field Borders!

Field Borders

There are idle spots on every farm, and every highway is bordered by an idle strip as long as it is;

keep cow, plow, and mower out of these idle spots, and the full native flora…could be part of the

normal environment of every citizen. -Aldo Leopold Photos: Don Keirstead

Pre-Planting: 2009 Post-Planting: 2011

Example: Blueberry farm, New Hampshire

Field Borders

Flowering Hedgerows

Photo: Katharina Ullmann, Nancy Adamson, Gordon E Robertson Wikimedia Commons, Scott Seigfreid

Native shrubs and trees

• Multiple bloom periods

• Important source of nectar

and pollen in early spring

• Nesting and shelter

• Screen wind and dust

• Seed/berries for birds

• Harvestable product

Photo: Gary Casabona,

Wildflower Meadows

Example: Godena Farm, Rhode Island

6

Photo: John Anderson, Elaine Haug NRCS, Nancy Adamson, Sally and Andy Wasowski

Windbreaks and Shelterbelts

Windbreaks

• Flowering trees/shrubs,

erect forbs and grasses

• 40-60% density for wind

protection; >60% for wind

+ snow protection

• Protects crops, creates

boundaries

• Corridors for wildlife

Red maple (Acer ruburm)

Hawthorn (Crataegus spp.)

Little bluestem

(Schizachyrium scoparium)

Permanent Ground Covers

Photos: Eric Mader and Robin Dobson

Example: Apple Orchard, New Hampshire

Williams, N. 2011 Restoration Ecology 19:4, pg. 450–459.

Riparian buffers

• Native wetland plants

• Untilled areas

• Stumps and snags

• Riparian corridors for wildlife

• Buffers and enhances

stream/wetland health

Riparian and Wetland Restoration

Photo: Jennifer Hopwood, Nancy Adamson, Mary Ellen (Mel) Harte, Bugwood.org

pussy willow (Salix discolor)

blue lobelia (Lobelia siphilitica)

Skipper on buttonbush

(Cephalanthus occidentalis)

Research by Dave Biddinger, Penn State University; Photos: Alex Suricia, Jennifer Hopwood, Scott Seigfried

Example: Natural Enemies of BMSB

• Emerging Research: Sand wasp predation of brown marmorated stinkbugs

• Mountain mint (Pycnanthemum spp.) and spotted beebalm (Monarda

punctata) as nectar plants for wasps

Native Plant Field Borders

Photo Kelly Gil

Perennial Insectary Strips

Photos: Connie Schmotzer

Example: Apple Orchard, Pennsylvania

PSU Plant Trials

• Bicyrtes quadrifasciatus

• Trichopoda pennipes

• Astata unicolor

The Habitat Restoration Process

Annual Plantings

Photo: Kelly Gill

7

Photo: Jim Gillis

Plant selection

• Annual plants

• Non-invasive / naturalized

• Abundant pollen and nectar

• Compliments crop

• Focus on availability and cost

• Annual insectary strips

• Cover crops

Annual Plantings for Beneficial Insects

Low Cost Mix of Annuals and Perennials

Bee Forage Planting, PA

Annual plant selection

• Partridge pea

• Plains coreopsis

• Annual blanket flower

• Buckwheat

• Dill

• Cilantro

• Sunflower

• Alyssum

• Phacelia

• Cosmos


Blanket flower

(Gaillardia)

Cilantro

(Coriandrum sativum)

Photo: Steve MasleyPhoto: Sarah Foltz Jordan

Photo: Kelly GillPhoto: Kelly Gill

Buckwheat

(Fagopyrum esculentum)

Crimson clover

(Trifolium incarnatum)

Photos: Richard Old, Tessa Grasswitz

LavenderCoreopsis

Bachelor button Dill

Low cost ornamentals, herbs, and medicinals


Photo: Rincon-Vitova

Annual Insectary Strips

• Promote movement of beneficial

insects into cropped areas

• Low-cost, rapid blooming species

• Usually established at time of

primary crop planting

• Does not offer shelter for

overwintering

• Must keep pesticide-free


Photo: Jessa Guisse

Planting insectary strips

• Plant annual strips in spring after frost

(perennial in fall)

• Prepare ground as you would for any

other crop

• Plant by hand or vegetable seed drill

• Just barely cover with soil (perennials

sown on surface)


Photo: Matthew ShepherdPhoto: Matthew Shepherd


Annual insectary strips

• NM study, pumpkins with insectary

strips had more natural enemies

• Fewer spotted cucumber beetles

• Insectary plants can be

incorporated in cut flower plots

• Can be added in and around high

tunnels Photo: Sarah Foltz Jordan

8

Photo: Debbie Roos


Cover crop selection

• Legumes, brassicas,

grasses

• Lacy phacelia, buckwheat,

partridge pea

• Planting date for your

hardiness zone

• Winter cover crops vs.

summer cover crop (see

FNBI page 126-127 )

• Termination date and

method (tilling, mowing,

herbicide, roller-crimper)

• Residue management

Example: Intercropping with vegetables


Example: Hawthorne Valley Farm, New York

Photo: Kelly Gill

Example: Flowering Cover Crops Enhance Pest ControlMississippi: flowering cover crops near soybeans (buckwheat for nectar)

increased wasp parasitism of stink bug eggs by 2 ½ times.

Photos: Russ Ottens; Jennifer Hopwood

Glynn Tillman, USDA ARS. 2013. Crop Protection & Management Research

Lab, Tifton, GA, Manuscript in progress.

Telenomus wasp

parasitizing stink bug eggs


Example: Cover Crop Trials, North Dakota

Photos: Eric Mader and Robin Dobson

Cover crop mix inter-seeded with sunflower

• Sunflower managed without fertilizer,

irrigation, or insecticides (including seed trt)

• Yields compare to neighboring

conventionally managed sunflowers

Jay Fuhrer

District Conservationist


Selected Cover CropsUse in rotation with cash crops

Partridge Pea

(Chamaecrista fasciculata)

Lacy Phacelia

(Phacelia tanacetifolia)


Habitat: Shelter

Over-wintering and egg-laying

Photos: insecte.org; Alex Wild

Nesting Isodontia wasp

Lacewing eggs

Creating Shelter for Beneficial Insects

9

Photo: Gwendolyn Ellen, OSU

Beetle Banks

• Raised bed of perennial bunch grasses

• Cover for predatory ground beetles

• Central location, extending length of field

Beetle bank field trials, Oregon

Beetle Banks

Photo: Grinnell Heritage Farm; Bugwood

Example: Grinnell Heritage Farm Beetle Bank, Iowa

Native grass strips intercropped with vegetables

Pasimachus ground beetle

Firefly beetle


Photo: Grinnell Heritage Farm; Bugwood

Pasimachus ground beetle

Firefly beetle


Study shows refuge habitat increases ground

beetle numbers and enhances biocontrol

• Ground beetles are common predators of

insects and weed seeds

• Ground beetles in numbers commonly found in

midwestern crop fields can remove:

• Up to 4000 cutworms/acre/day

• Up to 40 weed seeds per square foot/day

(Menalled and Landis 1997)

Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center

Special Collections:

http://www.wildflower.org/collections/

Value to Beneficial Insects•Special Value to Native Bees

•Special Value to Bumble Bees

•Special Value to Honey Bees

•Provides Nesting Materials/Structure for Native Bees

•Supports Conservation Biological Control

This information was provided by the Pollinator Program at

The Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation

http://www.xerces.org/pollinator-conservation/

Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center

AND Protection From Pesticides

(coming up in Part 5: Farm

Practices for Beneficial Insects)

Photos: Paula Kleintjes-Neff

TAKE HOME MESSAGE

Beneficial Insects Need Diverse Habitat

Shelter and RefugeAlternate PreyPollen & Nectar

Photo: Thelma Heidel-Baker Photo: Alex Wild Photo: Kelly Gill

http://www.wildflower.org/collections/



10


Final Thoughts:

As the single largest land use on Earth, farming

is critical to the future of biodiversity.

Questions?

• Up next: Evaluating Farm Habitat for Beneficial Insects

• Start planning your beneficial insect habitat!!

1

Farm Practices for Beneficial Insects


Natural enemy abundance and

diversity can be limited by

agricultural practices

• Reduce favorable conditions for

insect pests and plant diseases

• Increase habitat and pesticide

protection for beneficial insects


Photo: Claudio Gratton (UW-Madison)

Insecticides can cause significant

harm to beneficial insects

Standard advice:

• Avoid use, select alternative

• Follow labels carefully

• Use least toxic options

• Minimize and target applications

But…Label guidelines only apply to

honey bees


Even when bee caution labels are

followed, there is limited protection

for many native bees and other

beneficial insects

http://extension.oregonstate.edu/catalog/ab

stract.php?seriesno=PNW+591

UC DAVIS IPM http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/crops-agriculture.html

Select Crop > Under General Information Select: Relative Toxicities of

Pesticides Used in [chosen crop] to Natural Enemies and Honey Bees


Photo: Regina Hirsch

Neonicotinoid Insecticides

• Increasingly used on crops

• Foliar sprays, soil treatments,

trunk injections, seed coatings

• Translocated systemically

within plant tissue

• Present in floral rewards

• Persist in plants and soils

• Imidacloprid, Thiamethoxam,

Clothianidin, Dinotefuran,

Thiacloprid, and Acetamiprid



Neonicotinoid Toxicity To Bees

• Large doses are toxic to bees

• Small doses impact foraging and

flight in honey bees

• Bumble bee colonies exposed to

very low doses produce fewer

queens, which may impact

populations

• Neonics are also detrimental to

many other beneficial insects


http://extension.oregonstate.edu/catalog/abstract.php?seriesno=PNW+591

http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/crops-agriculture.html

2

Photo: Kelly Gill

Neonicotinoid Insecticides:

Annual Plants

• Detrimental to beneficial

insects

• Exposed and harmed when

feeding on nectar, pollen

• Treatment of non-blooming can

expose beneficial insects that

are hunting for prey / hosts

• Harmed when ingest pests that

were exposed, but not killed


Photo: Jennifer Hopwood

Neonicotinoid Insecticides:

Perennial Crops

• Detrimental to beneficial insects

• Repeated use on perennial, crops

may increase concentration to

very high levels

• Trunk injections, may result in

residues more concentrated and

persistent

• Treatment of non-blooming can

expose beneficial insects hunting

for prey / hosts

• Harmed when ingest pests that

were exposed, but not killed


Mass bee kills in June 2013:

• Bumble bees in Oregon

• Honey bees in Canada

• Others reported subsequently

Photo: Dan Gunderson, MN Public Radio

Graph: vanEngelsdorp et al 2013.

http://beeinformed.org/

Photo: The Oregonian

Photos: Rich Hatfield (Xerces Society); The Oregonian


John Tooker, Penn State University


John Tooker, Penn State University


Results

3. In the laboratory, the pest slug Deroceras reticulatum was unaffected by

thiamethoxam, but transmitted the toxin to predaceous beetles (Chlaenius

tricolor), impairing or killing >60%.

4. In the field, thiamethoxam-based seed treatments depressed activity–

density of arthropod predators, thereby relaxing predation of slugs and

reducing soya bean densities by 19% and yield by 5%.

doi/10.1111/1365-2664.12372

Neonicotinoids on ornamental

plants

• Level of application is much

greater than on crops 12x to 60x

which increases the risk to

pollinators

• Avoid use on flowering plants (e.g.

maple trees, linden trees, roses,

sedum, etc.)

• Make sure plants you purchase

have not been treated with

neonicotinoids


Protection from Pesticides

This plant is protected from problematic

aphids, white flies, beetles, mealy bugs,

and other unwanted pests by

Neonicotinoids…

http://beeinformed.org/

3

Organic-Approved Insecticides

HIGHLY TOXIC to beneficial insects

• Pyrethrins: plant-derived, broad

spectrum poison, long residual

• Spinosad: bacterium-derived, broad

spectrum nerve and stomach poison

HARMFUL ON CONTACT

• Insecticidal soaps, horticultural oils

Photo: NRCS/Toby Alexander

Farm Practices for Beneficial Insects Farm Practices for Beneficial Insects

Adopt and Practice IPM

• Incorporate multiple management strategies

• Preventative pest management

• Avoid prophylactic treatment (seed, plants)

• Scout for both pests and beneficial insects

• Use established economic thresholds to

eliminate unnecessary pesticide use

• Cautiously select pesticides

Photo: Jason Miller, NRCS

Preventative Pest Management

• Floating row covers

• Fruit bagging

• Crop rotation and diversity

• Resistant varieties

• Sanitation

Photo: Kaitlyn Rich


“Safer” Pesticide Options

• Bt sprays

• Insect repellents (e.g. garlic or

citrus oils)

• Kaolin clay barriers (Surround)

• Pheromone traps

• Mating disruptors

Photo: David Biddinger (Penn State University )


Targeted Pest Control

• Scout crops before spraying

• Use established economic

thresholds, not “calendar spray”

• Use the most targeted, least

toxic control option

• NRCS 595: Pest Management


Farm Practices for Beneficial Insects Farm Practices for Beneficial Insects

Photo Thelma Heidel Baker

Reducing Pesticide Impacts

• Use IPM strategies

• Avoid broad spectrum,

highly-toxic pesticides

• Pesticides are a last resort,

at economic threshold

• Use least toxic a.i.

• Shorter residual toxicity

reduces risk to beneficial

• Manage drift

• Consider methods, timing

4

Reducing Pesticide Impacts: Control

Drift and Over Application

• Avoid temperature inversions and

windy conditions

• Ideal conditions

• Calibrate equipment annually

• Select proper nozzle type (15-30 psi)

• Drift-reducing applicators (ex. electrostatic

and tower sprayers rather than strong air blast

sprayers)

• Establish buffer strips

Photos: USDA-ARS


Photos: USDA-NRCS, USDA-ARS

Adamson N, Ward T, and Vaughan M. 2012. Designed with pollinators

in mind. Inside Agroforestry. Volume 20, Issue 1. pp: 8-10.

http://nac.unl.edu/documents/insideagroforestry/vol20issue1.pdf

Reducing Pesticide Impacts: Screen

Drift From Neighboring Fields

• Non-flowering windbreaks and buffers,

NOT attractive to beneficial insects

• Small-needle evergreen (arborvitae,

cypress, juniper, spruce, etc.)

• Porosity is critical: 40% open

• Overly dense >60% leads to wall effects

(“downwash”)



Reducing Pesticide Impacts: Pesticide Setbacks

• Maintain buffer of at least 30 feet between any

insecticide application and habitat areas

• No spray zone on crop edge

• Protect habitat from insecticide or herbicide drift

Photo: Kelly Gill Photo: Photo: Claudio Gratton (UW-Madison)


Reducing Pesticide Impacts:

Application Timing

• Spray when beneficial

insects are less active

• Nighttime spraying with a.i.

that has short residual

• Spray when dry

• Longer residual in cool

temps, dewy nights


Photo: USDA-ARS

Protect Ground-Dwelling

Beneficials

• Minimize tillage

• Plant cover crops, living mulch

• Reduce plastic mulch

Photos: Jennifer Hopwood, Eric Mader


Protect Ground-Nesting Bees

Nearly 70% of native bees are

solitary ground-nesters

http://nac.unl.edu/documents/insideagroforestry/vol20issue1.pdf

5


No-Till Squash Bees

No-till farms in Virginia hosted

three times more native bees

than did conventional farms.

Shuler, et al. 2005. Farming Practices Influence Wild Pollinator Populations on

Squash and Pumpkin. Journal of Economic Entomology. 98(3):790-795Photos: Jim Cane, Nancy Adamson

Protect Tunnel-Nesting Bees

• About 30% of native bees are solitary

tunnel-nesters

• Protect snags wherever possible

• Leave/plant shrubs or plants with pithy

stems (e.g. boxelder, elderberry, cane

berries, sumac, etc.)


Photos: Matthew Shepherd, Nancy Adamson

Photos: Mace Vaughan, Matthew Shepherd, Bonnie Carruthers

Protect Bumble Bee Nests

• Cavities such as old rodent holes

• Overgrown field borders

• Bunch grasses, brush piles, or

piled field stones

• Reduce mowing

• All of the above are also nest

sites / refuge for natural enemies


Insects Drive The System

• Pollinator produced fruits

and seeds comprise 25% of

bird and mammal diets

• Insects are food for wildlife

(e.g. 89% of birds feed on

insects)

• Beneficial insect habitat

compatible with needs of

other wildlife (songbirds,

ground-nesting birds, New

England cottontail, etc.)

USDA-NRCS

© Sierra Vision Stock

© NRCS Jeff Vanuga

Photo: Kelly GiIl

Big Picture Benefits

Additional Resources

Pollinator Conservation

Resource Center

Region-specific Information from

Xerces, Cooperative Extension,

USDA-NRCS, NGO, and other

sources, including:

• Regional plant lists

• National plant lists

• Conservation guides

• Bee nest construction guides

• Pollinator identification guides

• Pesticide reduction guidelines

• Native plant nursery directory

www.xerces.org/pollinator-

resource-center

Additional Resources

http://www.xerces.org/pollinator-resource-center

6

Pesticide Protection and Mitigation

• Training for agricultural professionals, farmers, and gardeners

• Guidelines on pesticide risk reduction strategies for farmers

• Natural pest control systems (using “good bugs” to manage “bad bugs”)

Additional Resources What’s Old is What’s New?

Photo:The Friends of Edith Patch

(www.edithpatch.org)

Dr. Edith Patch (1916)

President, Entomological

Society of America

In 1938, Dr. Patch predicted

that by the year 2000

…the President of the United States

would issue a proclamation claiming

that land areas at regular intervals

throughout the U.S. would be

maintained as “Insect Gardens,”

under the direction of government

entomologists. These would be

planted with milkweed, hawthorn,

and other plants that could sustain

populations of butterflies and bees.

She predicted that some time in the

future, “Entomologists will be as

much or more concerned with the

conservation and preservation of

beneficial insect life as they are now

with the destruction of injurious

insects.”

Questions?

Contact Information:

Gary Casabona:

[email protected]

Jarrod Fowler:

[email protected]

Kelly Gill:

[email protected]

[email protected]


Thank You!! Thank You!! Thank You!!

mailto:[email protected]




NRCS

Where did we come from?

http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/about/history/images/dustbowl.jpg

http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/about/history/images/dustbowl.jpg

Background of 2008 Farm Bill

• December 2006: National

Academy of Sciences

Report

• December 2006: First

cases of CCD discovered

• Spring 2007: Initial

pollinator conservation

legislation introduced

Photo: Edward S. Ross

2008 Farm Bill: Pollinator Habitat Provisions

• Makes pollinators a priority

for every USDA land

manager and

conservationist

• Identifies pollinator habitat

as a priority for EQIP

• Requires that pollinators are

considered in the review of

Practice Standards

• Encourages the inclusion of

pollinators in all USDA

conservation programs


Farm Bill Implementation: Practices for Pollinators

Photo: NRCS

Core Programs

EQIP, WHIP, CSP

Tech Note 78

Using Farm Bill Programs for

Pollinator Conservation

Practices for Pollinators• Tree/Shrub Establishment

• Conservation Cover

• Hedgerow Planting

• Field Border

• Restoration and Management of

Rare or Declining Habitats

• Range Planting

• Upland Wildlife Habitat Management

• Pest Management

• Early Successional Habitat

Development/ Management

Farm Bill Implementation

Example of Last Year’s

Environmental Quality

Incentives Program:

• Incentive payment for installed

conservation practices:

• Conservation Cover

(Pollinator Seed Mix:

$1000/acre)

• Tree/Shrub Establishment

(Pollinator Shrubs: $480/acre)

Photos: Hannah Gaines and Eric Mader

Farm Bill Implementation: 386

Photo: Eric Mader

Field Border Practice Standard (386): Can include a diverse

mix of native and low cost non-native plants

Farm Bill Implementation: New 595

Pest Management Practice

Standard (595):

• Protecting pollinators from

pesticides

• Establishing habitat for

other beneficial insects

Photos: David Biddinger (Penn State University),

Mace Vaughan (Xerces Society), and Elise Fog


Hedgerows Practice Standard (422):

• Plant a succession of flowering shrubs

• Design for multiple benefits

Photo: Katharina Ullmann (Xerces Society)

Photo: Mace Vaughan, Xerces Society

Filter Strip Practice Standard (393): Use pollinator plants to control

run-off, over septic drain fields, in ditches



Cover Crop Practice Standard (340): Can include diverse

flowering forbs such as clover, mustard, buckwheat, phacelia,

oilseed radish, alfalfa.

Photo: NRCS/Toby Alexander

Conservation Cover Practice Standard (327):

• Permanent vegetation cover

• Improve soil quality

• Enhance wildlife and pollinator habitat


Photo: Eric Mader (Xerces Society)

NRCS Farm Planning Example 1.

Diversified Organic Farm

• 24 Acres

• Fruits and vegetables

• Conventional farm

neighbors

• Potential resources

concerns

• Pollinators

• Pest management

• Protection from

neighbor’s pesticides

• Weed control in fallow

ground

NRCS Farm Planning Example 1.

Proposed PracticesField Border (386)

• Diverse native forb plantings

Hedgerow (422)

• Diverse flowering native

shrubs

Cover Crop (340)

• Phacelia tanacetifolia,

crimson clover, buckwheat

Pasture and Hayland (512)

• Grazing plan to encourage

forb diversity and abundance

Conservation Cover (327)

• Mixture of low cost native

and non-native forbs

Pollinator Hedgerow

Conservation

Cover

Pasture and

Hayland

Field Border

Cover Crop

Thank You!! Thank You!! Conservation Biological …...2015/09/09 · •Big-Eyed Bugs •Damsel...

Documents

Transcript of Thank You!! Thank You!! Conservation Biological …...2015/09/09 · •Big-Eyed Bugs •Damsel...