Pest Management

1. Pest Management Pesticide Safety Education Program MSU Extension

2. Types of Pests • Weeds • Invertebrates (insects, mites, ticks, spiders, snails, and slugs) • Pathogens (bacteria, viruses, fungi, nematodes) • Vertebrates (birds, reptiles, amphibians, fish, and rodents)

3. Pest Classifications • Key Pest • Causes major damage on a regular basis. • Occasional Pest • Causes damage on a irregular basis. Usually as a result of weather, environment, or human activity. • Secondary Pest • Occurs as a result of action taken to control primary pest.

4. Pest Management Methods • Many pest management methods including: • Regulatory • Cultural • Biological • Genetic • Chemical

5. Regulatory • Using legal means to control pests. Generally for exotic pests that are not native. • Quarantines • Eradication • Example in Montana: Japanese Beetle

6. Cultural • Altering the insects environment to disrupt the lifecycle of the pest. • Mowing, rotational strategies, tillage, fire, or cover crops

7. Biological • Manipulation of one organism to control another organism. • Using pathogens, vertebrates, plants, or insects to control other pests. • Example in Montana: Flea beetles to control leafy spurge.

8. Genetic • Usually a preventative technique. • Plants or animals can be bred or selected to be resistant to certain pest problems. • Example in Montana: Resistant wheat varieties for wheat stem sawfly.

9. Chemical • Are any naturally derived or synthetic material that is applied to: • kill • attract • repel • regulate • interrupt the growth and mating of pests • regulate growth.

10. Synthetic Chemical Management began around WWII with the use of: • DDT • Some Problems persisted with DDT. What were they?

11. Biomagnification

12. One other problem from over using Chemical Sprays: RESISTANCE! • Zero Damage Concept (Where no damage was acceptable) • Failed • Resulted in Spray, spray, and spray with loss in control • Problems • Wasted money when not economic • Resulted in Resistance!!

13. Resistance • Occurs when there is an ability of a pest to tolerate a pesticide that once controlled it. • Can be managed through integrated pest management.

14. Other Problems with Dependence on Chemical Management • Increasing levels of chemical output • Chemicals persist in environment • Non-target impact • Public concern

15. Integrated Pest Management • Regulatory (Quarantines) • Cultural (Planting dates, harvest dates etc..) • Biological (Lady beetles, lacewings) • Resistance (WSS resistant winter wheat) • Gene Manipulation • Mechanical Control (Fly swatter or burning) • Chemical

16. Identify and Monitor Pest: To understand which IPM approach to use! • Must monitor the insect population • Relative insect measuring estimates • Sweep net samples • Absolute insect measuring estimate • Insects per unit area (tiller, plant, sq ft) • Trapping or emergence cages • Get an idea of insects per unit GET OUT INTO FIELD!!

17. Assess Potential Impacts • Usually by comparing your densities or pest damage to economic thresholds or economic injury levels which are previously established. • Available from MSU Extension.

18. Economic Thresholds • Number of pests per unit area (population density) at which management methods should be employed to prevent the pest from reaching the economic injury level.

19. Economic Injury Level • Lowest population that will cause economic damage. • When a pest reaches the economic threshold control measures should be employed to prevent populations from reaching the Economic Injury Level.

20. Economic Threshold takes into account many factors. C VIDK Injury Level = C = the cost of management per unit area V = market value per unit area I = injury amount caused per pest D = the damage per injury amount K = the reduction in pest attack by control

21. INSECT DENSITY ECONOMIC INJURY LEVEL ECONOMIC THRESHOLD (ACTION THRESHOLD) Insect Numbers & Crop Losses Time

22. Choose your management option (Develop and evaluate your management option) • Do you wish to prevent (genetic ‘resistance’, cultural ‘plant certain varieties’) • Do you wish to suppress your pest population (chemical, biological) • Do you wish to eradicate (chemical, genetic) • Very expensive generally and usually unsuccessful.

23. Implement the plan • Don’t reinvent wheel • Talk to your neighbors, extension personnel, and consultants. • Implement plan • Reassess periodically • Make notes of future pest populations, methods which work, and methods which do not.

24. Example Scenario: What do you do if you want to use IPM?

25. Inspect the damage? • Do not guess. Get into the field and inspect. • You find the Russian Wheat Aphid. Contact MSU Extension if you cannot identify.

26. Cross-reference the damage with the insect found: RWA damage • Leaves white or purple streaks • Tightly rolled leaves – trap leaves or head

27. Contact MSU Extension for your Monitoring Approach • MSU Extension indicates the economic threshold to be: • Fall - Any growth stage (10-20% infested plants) • Spring • Regrowth to early boot (5-10% infested plants) • Early boot to flowering (10-20% infested tillers) • After flowering (More than 20% infested tillers)

28. Monitor • You assess your plants and find 35% infested plants with RWA. • APPLY A MANAGEMENT PLAN BASED ON YOUR DENSITY AND THRESHOLD! • Only 1 management tactic will save your field at this point (consult MSU).  Chemicals

29. Which Chemical? Consult MSU or other Ag Consultants -MSU would recommend Warrior at the 3.8 oz / acre rate or Lorsban 4E based on previous field trials. -Always read the product label

30. Good Luck