biological controls

Extension Offers Greenhouse Biological Control Conference

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liliesUConn Extension is sponsoring a Greenhouse Biological Control Conference.  This one-day educational program will be held onWednesday, June 20, 2018 at Room 100, WB Young Building, University of Connecticut in Storrs, CT.

The speakers featured at this educational program include:

  • Michael Oleykowski,  Syngenta  who will be speaking on Developing an Effective, Integrated Control Program 
  • Debbie Palumbo-Sanders, Bioworks, Victor, NY   who will be speaking on Biofungicides and Their Fit into Your IPM Program
  • Kerri Stafford, Cavicchio Greenhouses, Sudbury, MA  who will be speaking on Implementing Our Biological Control Program
  • Annie White, Nectar Landscape Design Studio, Burlington, VT  who will be speaking on Top Plants for Attracting Pollinators: Natives and Beyond
  • Carol Glenister, IPM Laboratories, Locke, NY  who will be speaking on Plants Talk Biocontrol: How to Use Plants to Manage Pests

A registration fee of $40 is due by June 14 payable by check only to the University of Connecticut. Included in the cost of admission: coffee, continental breakfast, lunch, informational handouts and parking.

Five pesticide recertification credits will be offered. For more information contact: Leanne Pundt at leanne.pundt@uconn.edu or call 860.626.6855 or click here for the program brochure or visit the website: http://ipm.uconn.edu/pa_greenhouse/

This work is supported by the Crop Protection and Pest Management grant no. 2014-70006-22548/project accession no. 1004700 from the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture.

Biological Control Short Course Offered

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people in field
Photo: Auerfarm

Xerces Society’s Conservation Biological Control Short Course

4-H Education Center at Auer Farm
158 Auer Farm Rd.
Bloomfield, CT

Tuesday, June 13th, 2017
9:00 am – 4:30 pm EDT

Learn a science-based strategy that seeks to integrate beneficial insects for natural pest control with instructor Dr. Ana Legrand from UConn!

To register and read course agenda follow this link: http://s.uconn.edu/3mt

UConn to Host Invasive Plant Conference on Oct. 11

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Donna Ellis
Extension Educator Donna Ellis releasing biological controls.

UConn to host major invasive plant conference on October 11 

The Connecticut Invasive Plant Working Group (CIPWG) will present a symposium on Tuesday,

October 11, 2016 at the Student Union, University of Connecticut in Storrs, CT. The symposium will take place from 8:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. The symposium theme is Invasive Plants in Our Changing World: Learn from the Past, Prepare for the Future. People with all levels of interest and experience are invited to attend. 

This 8th biennial conference features national, regional, and local experts as well as citizen volunteers sharing practical solutions for invasive plant management and actions needed to promote native species and improve wildlife habitat. The symposium is open to the public and will include introductory information about invasive plants.

Nationally-recognized Keynote speaker, Jil Swearingen, co-author of Plant Invaders of Mid-Atlantic Natural Areas will present, “We’re Moving on Up: Invasive Plants Heading North”. Karl Wagener, Executive Director of the Connecticut Council on Environmental Quality, will speak on “Connecticut’s Future: Rooted in Choice”. William Hyatt, Vice Chair of the Connecticut Invasive Plants Council, will provide a legislative update. Charlotte Pyle, recently retired from the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service will deliver closing remarks.

Concurrent afternoon sessions will include:

• What Are Other States Doing? Panel discussion with New England invasive plant experts.

• Native Plants for our Pollinators – Creating a balanced and healthy pollinator environment.

• Management of Key Invasives: Success Stories and Progress Reports 

• Biological Control: No Animal Too Small – Learn about these valuable invasive plant management tools.

• Aquatic Invasive Plants – Updates on Hydrilla and other new aquatic invasive plant threats.

• Plants to Watch Out For – What are the new invasives that threaten our borders?

Research and management posters, an invasive plant identification area, and other educational exhibits will be featured throughout the day.

The symposium agenda and online registration are available at www.cipwg.uconn.edu. Early registration is $50 (postmarked on or before September 12); regular registration is $60 (postmarked AFTER September 12 or for walk-in registrations). Student fee (with valid student ID) is $25. Registration includes parking and lunch. In addition, Pesticide Recertification and other Continuing Education Credits will be available. Attendees are advised to register early, as the last symposium had record attendance and sold out with 500 attendees. 

On-line registration is preferred, but if you would like to pay by check, please visit the CIPWG website at www.cipwg.uconn.edu to download the registration form and mail it in with your payment. For additional information, contact Donna Ellis at 860-486-6448; donna.ellis@uconn.edu.

Did You Know: Lily Leaf Beetle

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A Sustainable and Viable Non-Pesticide Alternative

Donna Ellis
Extension Educator Donna Ellis releasing biological controls.

Release and monitoring of two distinct biological control agents (the parasitoid wasps Tetrastichus setifer and Diaparsis jucunda) for biological control of lily leaf beetle began in Connecticut in 2012 under the direction of Extension Educator Donna Ellis. These beneficial insects have also been released in Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire, and Rhode Island.

In 2014, there were 15 new research sites. Five were release sites and eight served as control sites. A total of 1,257 wasps were released during an eight-day period in June in the towns of Haddam, Portland, Branford, New Haven and Middletown. In the three years of the project, control and release groups have been located in all eight counties.

2015 included additional release sites and continued sampling. Middlesex County Master Gardener Coordinator Gail Reynolds developed a presentation on the Lily Leaf Beetle research that has been given to an advanced Master Gardener class, a local garden club and others. A fact sheet, an infographic on lily leaf beetles, and other educational materials are available at www.ipm.uconn.edu

Biological Control Programs for Ornamentals

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extensionFB180Proven Biological Control Programs for Indoor and Outdoor Production of Ornamentals

UConn Extension and UMass Extension are sponsoring, Proven Biological Control Programs; for indoor and outdoor production of ornamentals. This one day educational program will be held on Thursday, June 18, 2015 in Room 100 of the WB Young Building, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT.

The speakers featured at this educational program include:

  • Margery Daughtrey, Cornell University, LIHREC, Riverhead, NY who will be speaking on Biological Controls of Disease: Fungus vs. Fungus in the Greenhouse
  • Suzanne Wainwright-Evans, Buglady Consulting, Slatington, PA who will be speaking on

Evaluating Your Biological Control Program and Using Biological Controls in Outdoor Production

  • Grant Jones, IPM Specialist, Longwood Gardens, Kennett Square, PA who will be speaking on Implementing a Biological Control Program at Longwood Gardens
  • A Grower Panel on IPM & Biologicals featuring Steven Courcy & Keith Salcines DS Cole Growers, Loudon, NH and Michael Calhoun, Broken Arrow Nursery, Hamden, CT.

A registration fee of $35 is due by June 11th payable by check only to the University of Connecticut.   Included in the cost of admission: coffee, continental breakfast, lunch, informational handouts and parking.

Five pesticide recertification credits will be offered for attendees in CT, RI, MA, ME, NH, and VT.

For more information contact: Leanne Pundt at leanne.pundt@uconn.edu or call 860-626-6855 or visit the website: http://ipm.uconn.edu   or click here for the registration form.

Biological Controls in Greenhouses

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More Connecticut greenhouse growers and retailers are using biological controls to manage insect and diseases (Photo of greenhouse). Here you can see a variety of spring plants for sale that were grown using biological controls (beneficial insects and mites, and biologically based fungicides). As an  example, this yellow gerbera daisy flower was grown using biological controls. (yellow gerbera daisy). This is to prevent damage from western flower thrips that can damage flowers (pink gerbera daisy). Small predatory mites (photo of bags in plants) are placed in the crop that prey upon the small thrips in the flowers. Here the predatory mites  are contained inside a controlled release sachet containing bran and a additional food source for the beneficial mites. The small predatory mites emerge from these small paper sachets over a 4 to 6 week period preying upon western flower thrips. (Note: western flower thrips are primarily a concern in greenhouse production, not in the home garden). Source: Leanne Pundt, UConn Extension Educator in Greenhouse IPM.

The Garden - WoodburyGerbera DaisyIMG0003131