Backyard Orchard News
Matt Forister: Melissa Blue Butterfly and Colonization of Alfalfa
Want to learn more about the Melissa blue butterfly and its colonization of alfalfa? UC Davis...
UC Davis alumnus Matt Forister, McMinn Professor of Biology at the University of Nevada, Reno, will present a seminar at UC Davis on Wednesday, April 25 on his work with understanding the colonization of alfalfa by the Melissa blue butterfly.
The Melissa blue butterfly, either Lycaeides melissa or Plebejus melissa, basking on an alfalfa plant. (Photo by Matt Forister)
Who Invited Bugs to the UC Davis Picnic Day?
Who invited bugs to the UC Davis Picnic Day? Well, UC Davis officials and the UC Davis Department...
Bohart Museum associate Wade Spencer with his desert hair scorpion, Celeste, poses with the mascot, "Hamburger Cow Patty." (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
UC Davis student Melissa Mongan (far left) who is majoring in community and regional development, checks out a walking stick. In back are Diego Rivera (center) and Lohit Garikipati. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
UC Davis student Valeed Aziz (left), who is majoring in neurology, physiology and behavior, admires a walking sticks. With him are Bohart associates Lohit Garikipati (center) and Diego Rivera. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
UC Davis students Bradyn O'Connor and Jacquelyn Shaff, both wildlife biology majors, get acquainted with an Australian leaf stick insect. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
UC Davis geography doctoral student, Carlos Beccera, and his wife Stefani Florez and their son Matias Becerra, 23 months old, get up close and personal with a desert hairy scorpion held by Wade Spencer. Beccera considered majoring in entomology but chose geography. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Don't look now, but mascot "Hamburger Cow Patty" has a visitor on her face--a Malaysian shield mantis. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Eye to eye with a praying mantis. The costumed character, "Hamburger Cow Patty," didn't mind a bit. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
You Won't Believe What You'll See at the Bohart Museum on Picnic Day
Take heed. The 104th annual UC Davis Picnic Day theme is “Where the Sun Shines.” The...
Entomology student and Bohart Museum associate Wade Spencer grimaces for the camera as he holds a beaver pelt and points to where a parasite lives. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Yes, this is where they live, says Wade Spencer. He's referring to Platypsyllus castoris, an ectoparasite on beavers in the perianal region. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Close-up of Platypsyllus castoris, an ectoparasite on beavers. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
The IR-4 Project launched a bee friendly plant search page.
The IR-4 Project at Rutgers University is pleased to announce the launch of the Plant Search page on the Protecting Bees website. Users can search for pollinator attractive plants by zip code, bloom period, sun/light requirements, and/or pollinator attractiveness. Once the search is complete, users can download a printable list of select plants, compare pollinator information (limit of 5 plants), or get detailed information about the attractiveness data and links to the data sources.
This plant search tool is a necessary resource for anyone with an interest in protecting pollinators and growing plants. Planting pollinator attractive plants provides insects and animals with essential resources, while helping plants survive and flourish. All pollinator attractiveness information on Protecting Bees comes from reputable scientific studies or publications. New plants and pollinator information is constantly being added, so be sure to search Protecting Bees for attractive plants when planning for your next planting or when guiding others about pollinator beneficial gardens!
The website is sponsored in part by USDA-NIFA-SCRI. James Bethke's group (San Diego UC Cooperative Extension farm advisor specializing in nurseries and floriculture) and Christine Casey are UC contributors to the larger project's collaborative group.
Home is where the habitat is: This Earth Day, consider installing insectary plants.
Help the environment this Earth Day, which falls on Sunday April 22 this year, by installing insectary plants! These plants attract natural enemies such as lady beetles, lacewings, and parasitic wasps. Natural enemies provide biological pest control and can reduce the need for insecticides. Visit the new UC IPM Insectary Plants webpage to learn how to use these plants to your advantage.
The buzz about insectary plants
Biological control, or the use of natural enemies to reduce pests, is an important component of integrated pest management. Fields and orchards may miss out on this control if they do not offer sufficient habitat for natural enemies to thrive. Insectary plants (or insectaries) can change that—they feed and shelter these important insects and make the environment more favorable to them. For instance, sweet alyssum planted near lettuce fields encourages syrphid flies to lay their eggs on crops. More syrphid eggs means more syrphid larvae eating aphids, and perhaps a reduced need for insecticides. Similarly, planting cover crops like buckwheat within vineyards can attract predatory insects, spiders, and parasitic wasps, ultimately keeping leafhoppers and thrips under control.
Flowering insectaries also provide food for bees and other pollinators. There are both greater numbers and more kinds of native bees in fields with an insectary consisting of a row of native shrubs planted along the field edge (called a hedgerow). Native bees also stay in fields with these shrubs longer than they do in fields without them. Therefore, not only do insectaries attract natural enemies, but they can also boost crop pollination and help keep bees healthy.
Insectary plants may attract more pests to your crops, but the benefit is greater than the risk
The possibility of creating more pest problems has been a concern when it comes to installing insectaries. Current research shows that mature hedgerows, in particular, bring more benefits than risks. Hedgerows attract far more natural enemies than insect pests. And despite the fact that birds, rabbits, and mice find refuge in hedgerows, the presence of hedgerows neither increases animal pest problems in the field, nor crop contamination by animal-vectored pathogens. Hedgerow insectaries both benefit wildlife and help to control pests.
How can I install insectary plants?
Visit the Insectary Plants webpage to learn how to establish and manage insectary plants, and determine which types of insectaries may suit your needs and situation. If you need financial assistance to establish insectaries on your farm, consider applying for Conservation Action Plan funds from the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) offered by the Natural Resources Conservation Service.
Sources:
- Flower flies (Syrphidae) and other biological control agents for aphids in vegetable crops. (PDF)
- Good news for hedgerows: no effects on food safety in the field.
- Hedgerow benefits align with food production and sustainability goals.
- Habitat restoration promotes pollinator persistence and colonization in intensively managed agriculture. (PDF)
- Reducing the abundance of leafhoppers and thrips in a northern California organic vineyard through maintenance of full season floral diversity with summer cover crops.