DURHAM, N.H. — Low-risk insecticides control target pest insects with active ingredients that are less likely to cause disruption to natural enemy complexes and pose fewer health hazards to the surrounding environment, the pesticide applicator, and the consumer. Unfortunately, product efficacy varies widely and application techniques are particularly critical. In two zoom workshops, we will cover best practices for making the most of low-risk insecticides in small farm operations. The first workshop will take place on July 15th, from 6:30 to 8:30 PM.
This workshop is all about insecticide modes of action. We will describe how commonly used low-risk pesticides work to manage pest insects in vegetable crops, followed by small group sessions where you can work out how to apply this information to your operation with like-minded peers. [Workshop 2 will be all about spray coverage. We will cover what you need to know if you are thinking about gearing up with backpack sprayers or fogger systems for your small farm.] This webinar will feature experts in pest management and crop production from the region as well as plenty of opportunity to interact with others during small group breakout sessions (including many experience women farmers and specialists). Topics include:
A primer on common modes of action for low-risk insecticides
Low-risk insecticides control target pest insects with active ingredients that are less likely to cause disruption to natural enemy complexes and pose fewer health hazards to the surrounding environment, the pesticide applicator, and the consumer. Unfortunately, product efficacy varies widely and may come with special techniques are sometimes needed to use them successfully. Here we will focus on best practices for successful IPM with low-risk products.
Integrating biological and chemical controls for managing pests of high tunnel tomato (thrips, aphids, whitefly, spider mites).
Tomatoes grown under high tunnels have unique pest problems compared to “outdoor” tomato crops and the list of products registered for use in protected culture is limited. The good news is that these partially enclosed spaces make inundative releases of biocontrol agents an attractive option for pest management. Here we will focus on the products registered specifically for use in high tunnel tomato and how to use chemical controls for thrips, aphids, whiteflies, and spider mites without negatively impacting the health of predators and parasitoids in these spaces.
Biopesticides: when do they work?
Generally speaking, “biopesticides” contain active ingredients that are living things or are extracted from living things. Biopesticides typically breakdown quickly and offer little non-target risk to the environment, the applicator, or the consumer. This also means that insecticidal efficacy depends largely on the conditions during application. Here we will focus on microbial biopesticides, typically entomopathogenic fungi, bacteria, or viruses, and include success stories and failures, so you don’t have to learn the hard way.
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Register today for this free online workshop.
–UNH Extension
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