Manage Insects On Your Farm: A Guide to Ecological Strategies

	Table of Contents Introduction Preface Introduction Cover Crop System Deters Pests (Pennsylvania) How Ecologically Based Pest Management Works What Does a Biodiverse Farm Look Like Biological Control Vocabulary Figure 1. The Pillars of Ecological Pest Management Enhancing Aboveground Diversity: A Checklist For Farmers Year-Round Blooming Cycle Attracts Beneficials Farm Feature: Diversity in Every Field and Pen (Iowa) Principles of Ecologically Based Pest Management Managing Aboveground Habitat Strategies to Enhance Beneficials Innovative Tart Cherry Orchard Systems Farm Feature: No-Till Cover Crops Yield Soil and Pest Benefits Farm Feature: A Toast to Ecological Grape Production Sidebar: Reduce Mowing Frequency to Attract Beneficials Beetle Banks Boost Beneficials Surrounding Crops With Perimeter Fools Pests Table 1. Flowering Plants That Attract Natural Enemies Farm Feature: Resistant Fruit Varieties Reduce Risk Identification Key to Major Beneficials and Pests Managing Soils to Minimize Crop Pests Healthy Soils Produce Healthy Crops Qualities of a Healthy Soil Managing Pests With Healthy Soils Farm Feature: Triple Threat to Pests: Cover Crops, No-Till, Rotation Impacts of Fertilizers on Insect Pests Table 2. Pest Populations Increase With Excess Nitrogen Fertility Implications For Fertilizer Practices Beneficial Agents on the Farm Predators Table 3: Common Predators Principal Insect Predators Cover Crops Lure Beneficial Insects, Improve Bottom Line in Cotton Parasitoids Table 4: Common Parasitoids Principal Parasitoids Table 5: Major Groups of Dipteran (Fly) Parasitoids Cropping Systems Shape Parasitoid Diversity Principal Insect Pathogens Bacillus Thuringiensis (Bt) Putting It All Together Designing a Habitat Management Strategy Fine-Tuning Farm Management to Enhance Specific Beneficials Enhancing Biota and Improving Soil Health Strategies for Enhancing Plant Diversity Rolling Out Your Strategy Figure 2: Preventive and Reactive Strategies That Enhance Ecological Pest Management Key Elements of Ecological Pest Management Farm Feature: Rotation, Rotation, Rotation: Alfalfa, Clover Crops Break Pest Cycles Universal Principles, Farm-Specific Strategies Guidelines For Designing Healthy And Pest-Resilient Farming Systems Ten Indicators of Soil Quality Ten Indicators of Crop Health Resources General Information Publications Websites Regional Experts