Managing Insect Pests in Organic Production Systems

Dr. Ken Fry

Olds College

Alberta Farm Fresh Local Food Short Course 2012

Red Deer, Alberta

Outline:

Ecology

Beneficial Insects

IPM

Monitoring

Prediction

Overview of Management Methods

Recordkeeping

Resources

K. Fry

Insect Abundance & Diversity

1,400,000 distinct species described

On all continents, in all habitats

Both beneficial and harmful

All Species

Fish 50%

Mammals 9%

Birds 20%

Herp’s 15%

Amphib’s 6%

note: 9% of 4% = 0.36%

Verts 4% Other 18%

Arthropods 75%

INDIVIDUAL

COMMUNITY

POPULATION

ECOREGION

ECOSYSTEM

BIOSPHERE

What Roles do Insects Play?

Pollinators

Decomposers/Recyclers

Predators/Parasitoids

Herbivores

Habitat Diversity

Spatial Diversity

Horizontal Diversity

» No monoculture

Vertical Diversity

» Herbs, forbs, shrubs, trees

Biodiversity

Alternate hosts

Refugia

Temporal Diversity

Flowering plants all season long

Beneficial Insect Requirements

Alternate host/prey

Shelter Moderated microclimates

In-season refuges

Overwintering sites

Nesting sites

Food Nectar

Pollen

Access to clean water ponds

bird baths

ditches

Predators & Parasitoids Ground Beetles

Carabidae

In soil & on ground

Rove Beetles

Staphylinidae

In soil & on ground

Lady Beetles

Coccinellidae

Soft-bodied insects

Soldier Bug

Pentatomidae

Caterpillars, grubs

Damsel Bug

Phymatidae

Caterpillars, grubs

Ambush Bug

Phymatidae

In flowers

Pirate Bug

Anthocoridae

Small caterpillars, thrips

Big-eyed bug

Geocoridae

Small insects

Flower Fly

Syrphidae

Aphids

Aphidoletes

Cecidomyiidae

Aphids, mites

Feltiella

Cecidomyiidae

Mites

Lacewings

Chrysopidae, Hemerobiidae

Soft-bodied insects

Predator Mites

Phytoseiidae

Spider mites

Predator Thrips

Aeolothrips

Thrips

Yellow Jacket Wasps

Vespidae

Caterpillars, grubs

Spiders

Daddy Long Legs

Parasitoids

Pathogens

Viruses Fungi Nematodes

Conserving Beneficial Insects

Conservation

Preserving existing natural beneficial insects

Reduce or eliminate pesticide use

Refine pesticide application methods and timing

Provide necessities for beneficial insects

» Overwintering sites

» Summer food sources

» Alternate hosts/prey

Augmentation of Beneficial Insects Supplementing already present beneficial

insects

Inoculate

Introduce/reintroduce natural enemies

Inundate

Repeated mass introductions

Commercially available beneficials insects

Impact of Management Practices

Plant health

Healthy plants fight back

Too much fertiliser benefits pests

Scheduling of pruning

Spring clean-up, fall preparation

Sanitation

Dead-heading plants, removing dropped fruit

Management Methods

• Cultural – plant health

– sanitation

– environment

• Physical – trapping

– pheromones

• Biological – predators – parasitoids – pathogens

• Chemical – spot sprays – thresholds

K. Fry K. Fry

Indicator plants

WEA arrives:

end of wild rose bloom

2 wks after chokecherry

3 wks after lilac first bloom

1 month after saskatoon 1st bloom

0

200

400

600

800

1000

1200

15-A

pr

22-A

pr

29-A

pr

6-May

13-M

ay

20-M

ay

27-M

ay

3-Ju

n

10-J

un

17-J

un

24-J

un

1-Ju

l

8-Ju

l

15-J

ul

22-J

ul

Northern Bedstraw

Saskatoon WEA

Date

y = -63x + 126237 R² = 0.8512

y = -68.245x + 136480 R² = 0.8942

y = -67.2x + 134824 R² = 0.8442

y = -2x + 4159 R² = 0.129

29-May

03-Jun

08-Jun

13-Jun

18-Jun

23-Jun

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

1996 1997 1998 1999 2000

Arr

ival of

WEA

Degr

ee-Day A

ccum

ulation

s

Year

5 degrees

10 degrees

2 degrees

WEA Arrival

Woolly Elm Aphid Arrival at Saskatoon

Degree-Day Model

12.4°C is minimum threshold temp.

combine daily max and min and subtract threshold temp.

= degree days accumulated that day

35-40 degree days

start from April 1

temperature must be taken at the canopy

time to start scouting for nymphs

Lygus Bug in Strawberries

Conclusions Neoseiulus fallacis is effective at reducing Pacific

spider mite densities in black currant orchards in central Alberta,

The predator should be released early in the growing season (May-June),

The predator should be released at a rate of a minimum of 1000 predators per 50 row metres

Feltiella acarisuga is ineffective at reducing Pacific spider mite densities in black currant orchards when the predator is released at a rate of 250 per 50 metres of row.

Orchard Management Practices

Drainage

Air

Water

Shelterbelt

Insect/Disease Refugia

Block Immigration

K. Fry

Mulch

• Grass

– Acts as refugia for beneficial insects

• Plastic

– Reduces vertebrate problems

• Organic

– stratification

Miscellaneous Management Practices

Intercropping

Economic consideration

Beneficial insect community

Green manure

Different pest complex

Neighbouring crops/plants

Chemical drift

Source of insects/disease

Effect of N fertilisation

High nitrogen benefits aphids

Healthy Plants Have Fewer Pest Problems

Disease Management

Warm moist conditions best for disease development

Disease infects new leaves

Hardened older leaves more resistant to infection

Spore load from previous year may indicate potential disease pressure in following year

Disease Management

Plant resistant cultivars

Use drip irrigation

Remove suckers

Aeration = air flow to reduce humidity

Protection of early season foliage = ↓ in fruit infection

Records Designated Scout

Pest Occurrence

• Spray Records

• Sentinel Plants

Review Records

• Track populations • Track management

effectiveness

• Common hot spots • Year-year trends

Organic Vegetable Pest Management

Crop Rotation of >3 years

>500m

Diversified plot layout

<10m2

Quilt

Refugia/hedgerows

Beneficial insects

Trap/Repellent Rows

Garlic, chives, marigolds, borage for aphids

Rosemary for imported cabbageworm

Allow radishes to flower for leaf beetles

General Tactics cont.

Sanitation

Weeds

Debris

Spacing from shelterbelts

Overwintering of pests

Space plantings

disease

root maggot density

Expect a lower yield potential

Specific Tactics

Delay seeding to avoid flea beetles

Feed on seedlings and cotyledons

Early seeding using high tunnels

Trap plants to lure pests

Early flowering, early emerging

Floating row covers

Flea beetles, root maggots, imported cabbage worms

Hay or straw mulch around potatoes in spring recruits spiders

Reduces CPB

Slugs attracted but use dried quack grass

Specific Tactics cont.

Plough under trap strips

Cultivate plots in early spring or late fall to expose cutworm larvae/pupae

Spot treat with organically-certified pesticides

Heritage varieties

Resistance genes still present

Mader, E., et al. 2011. Attracting Native Pollinators

Storey Publishing,

www.Xerces.org

$30.00

Flint, M.L. 1998. Natural Enemies Handbook. The Illustrated Guide to Biological Pest Control.

University of California Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources: Publication 3386

http://anrcatalog.ucdavis.edu/InOrder/Shop/ItemDetails.asp?ItemNo=3386H

Garden Insects of North America Cranshaw, W. 2004. Princeton

University Press.656pp.

Insects: Their Natural History and Diversity Marshall, S.A. 2006. Firefly

Books. 718pp.

Diseases & Pests of Vegetable Crops in Canada

– Howard, R.J. et al. 1994, $65.00

– http://esc-sec.org/disease.htm

Garden Bugs of Alberta

Fry, K. et al. 2008.

Lone Pine Publishing

$21.95

Web Resources

Michigan State University – Dr. Doug Landis

http://nativeplants.msu.edu/

Plant Database

http://www.wildflower.org/plants/

Prairie Plantwatch http://plantwatch.fanweb.ca/

Plant Phenology http://neoninc.org/budburst/

Web Resources, cont.

Canada Organic List http://www.tpsgc-pwgsc.gc.ca/ongc-cgsb/programme-program/norms-

standards/internet/bio-org/permises-permitted-eng.html

OMRI List of Organic Products http://www.omri.org/OMRI_products_list.php

National Organic Program (U.S.) List of Organic Products http://www.ams.usda.gov/nop/NOP/standards/ListReg.html

Web Resources for Biological Control Applied Bionomics

http://www.appliedbionomics.com/

Becker Underwood http://www.beckerunderwood.com/products/_nematodes.asp

BioBest http://www.biobest.be/

Biological Control Information Centre http://cipm.ncsu.edu/ent/biocontrol/

Guide to Biological Control http://cipm.ncsu.edu/ent/biocontrol/

Nematodes http://www.oardc.ohio-state.edu/nematodes/

Koppert http://www.koppert.nl/e005.shtml

List of Suppliers http://www.cdpr.ca.gov/docs/ipminov/bensuppl.htm