Global concerns for environmental quality have resulted in a proliferation of fertilizer and pesticide regulations that restrict golf course management programs. The objective of this project was to investigate the long-term effects of conventional and alternative cultural and pest management programs, designed to reduce reliance on chemical pesticides, on the quality and performance of golf pu...

Swine production is an important component of North Carolina’s agricultural economy. Cockroaches have long been recognized as important pests in swine production and severe infestations may contribute significantly to disease maintenance and transmission. However, management of cockroach populations is severely constrained by many factors including: cultural and production practices used at the...

Small farmers' perceptions of coffee Coffea arabica L. herbivores and their natural enemies, how those perceptions relate to field infestation levels, and pest management practices being implemented by members from two organic and nonorganic coffee grower organizations in the Soconusco region, southeastern Mexico, were analyzed through an interview survey, diagnostic workshops, and field sampli...

Secondary pest outbreaks occur when the use of a pesticide to reduce densities of an unwanted target pest species triggers subsequent outbreaks of other pest species. Although secondary pest outbreaks are thought to be familiar in agriculture, their rigorous documentation is made difficult by the challenges of performing randomized experiments at suitable scales. Here, we quantify the frequency...

The worldwide spread of modern, high-density confined poultry production systems under the direction of integrators has intensified the importance of a select number of arthropod ectoparasites and habitat pests. This concentrated production of poultry provides artificial ecosystems that are sometimes ideal for the development of large populations of arthropod pests. At the same time the systems...

Microbes are ubiquitous, survive in all sorts of environments and have a profound influence on the earth. In the present day plant protection scenario, development of resistance to chemical pesticides is the major hurdle in insect pest management. In recent years, several microbes with potential insecticidal properties have come to light. Viruses, bacteria, fungi and protozoa that are known to ...

A formal citrus insect pest survey was conducted in two citrus growing districts of Kenya, Bungoma and Machakos, to determine important insect pests of citrus and evaluate the pest control practices used by small-scale farmers. Observations were made on the insect pests and their damage, methods of pest control practiced, pesticide products used, sources of farming knowledge and how decisions t...

Michigan higbush blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum) growers were surveyed during Winter 2003 to gather information on the extent of the pest status of japanese beetle (Popillia japonica, Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) within this crop, and their responses to this pest management challenge. The survey was mailed to 215 highbush blueberry farms in southwestern, central, and southeastern Michigan. Ninety...

The use of neonicotinoid seed treatments is a nearly ubiquitous practice in sunflower (Helianthus annuus) pest management. Sunflowers have a speciose pest complex, but also harbor a diverse and abundant community of beneficial, nontarget organisms which may be negatively affected by pest management practices. Here, we investigate how the foliar and subterranean arthropod pest communities in sun...