Not Just Maize: Africa’s Fall Armyworm Crisis Threatens Sorghum, Other Crops, Too
The fall armyworm's impact on maize earns plenty of attention, but it is in fact polyphagous. Sorghum, a key cereal crop in Africa, is also vulnerable to the pest's damage, and researchers are working on biocontrol and other integrated pest management methods in hopes of containing the fall armyworm's impact around the world.
Mixing It Up: Mixed-Crop Fields Can Boost Natural Biocontrol of Insect Pests
A new study shows that growing a variety of crops in the same field increases local insect diversity and even improves the ratio of natural-enemy insects to pest insects.
Beer Brewers’ Spent Yeast Could Be Next Bait for Fruit Fly Pest
Researchers in China say a protein bait derived from leftover brewer's yeast attracted more spotted-wing drosophila flies than existing attractants in a lab test.
Whatever Happened to People in Integrated Pest Management?
As integrated pest management continues to grow and evolve, one practitioner urges us not to forget the people side of IPM. However well-crafted an IPM plan may be, it can only be effective when the various individuals asked to carry it out are fully committed.
Attract-and-Kill Strategy Shows Promise for Managing Brown Marmorated Stink Bugs
By using the brown marmorated stink bugs' own aggregation pheromone, the pests can be lured into a condensed area, thereby reducing the area that a grower must spray with insecticide. A two-year study in apple orchards suggests the method could soon become economically feasible.
Train-the-Trainer Program Multiplies Reach of IPM Knowledge
In Missouri, a series of "train-the-trainer" workshops have provided extension educators with the latest knowledge in integrated pest management to share with growers throughout the state.
Why Integrated Pest Management is Due for a Reset
In a new paper in American Entomologist, three experts suggest a modified focus for integrated pest management that better accounts for evolution and tolerance to pest injury and shifts from control toward management.
Array of Management Methods Needed to Curb the Pesky Squash Vine Borer
The larva of the squash vine borer burrows into the stems and crowns of squash, zucchini, and pumpkin plants, causing wilting damage. A new guide in the open-access Journal of Integrated Pest Management outlines a variety of management methods to combat the squash vine borer.
Fighting Nature With Nature: Scientists Mobilize Biological Control Against Devastating Fall Armyworm
Researchers at Virginia Tech's Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Integrated Pest Management are looking to biological control for the fall armyworm, with plans to deploy native, mass-reared parasitoid wasps in Kenya, Tanzania, and Ethiopia in the coming year.
Fluid Termite Bait Aims to Combine Best of Both Management Methods
A new termite-control method currently in development looks to combine the advantages of a liquid insecticide application with the comprehensive impact of existing solid termite bait systems.
New Research Collection Targets Insect Pests of Pulse Crops
A new collection in the July 2018 issue of the Annals of the Entomological Society of America offers growers a treasure trove of knowledge on pulse crop insect pests and management strategies.
Researchers Aim to Cut Through the Complexity of Managing Early-Season Crop Pests
Assessing the potential risk of minor, sporadic early-season pests is challenging. A new collection of profiles in the Journal of Integrated Pest Management aims to help growers and IPM professionals make more-informed decisions about whether methods such as preventative insecticide seed treatments are warranted.
Got Spotted Lanternfly Eggs on Your Tree? Send ‘Em Through the Wood Chipper
The invasive spotted lanternfly often lays its eggs on tree limbs and trunks. A new study finds that putting infested wood through a wood chipper effectively destroys spotted lanternfly egg masses, and researchers recommend the practice for reducing the potential spread of the pest.
Hessian Fly: New Guide Details Wheat Pest Management
The Hessian fly is a major pest of wheat around the world. A new guide in the open-access Journal of Integrated Pest Management outlines the fly's biology and life cycle and an array of tactics that can be combined to manage the pest.
Bodycams Can Make for Better Agricultural Pest Management, Too
In a new study at the University of Arizona, researchers used body-mounted cameras to evaluate the efficiency of two insect pest sampling techniques—a sweepnet and a vacuum—in a cotton field. The perspective offered new insights into how such methods can be evaluated and could help growers and integrated pest management professionals further fine-tune their sampling techniques.
Fighting Flies With Flies: An In-Depth Look at the 2016 Screwworm Outbreak Response in Florida
The return of the screwworm to Florida in 2016 was a surprise, but entomologists with the USDA and local, state, and international partners were prepared to respond. A new, in-depth report in the Journal of Medical Entomology shares a detailed account of their work re-eradicating the pest via the sterile insect technique—plus new lessons learned along the way.