GARDENING UPDATES: Thrips, Pollinators and Agroecology
Back from the much, much cooler West Coast. The East now has the heat; and, as gardeners know, the bugs...Recently, we posted a short article on a unique way to control flea beetles. You can recognize their damage by spotting the small, buckshot size holes they make in leaves while dining. Flea beetles are sort of easy to see as they are about 1/8" long, round and usually brown or black.
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| Thirps - egg to adult Source: MSU |
Thrips do not look like flea beetles. They are very small insects (1 mm, i.e. 1/25 of 1 inch in length). The adults deposit eggs inside of leaves. The young emerge and reach adulthood in about 30 days ready to start a new generation. As summer temps increase, they even develop faster and, of course, breed faster... Their fecundity can quickly reach epidemic proportions in small gardens and on farms.
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| Infected leaves from thrip piercings. Source: Cornell U |
Leaf damage from thrips appears different from that of flea beetles, but can lead to similar results. Thrips make tiny piercings into leaves in order to suck plant juices. These piercings also expose plants to many possible viral and bacterial infections as shown in the photo.
Organic control solutions include 1) keeping soil under plants clear of debris because this is where thrip lavae go to pupate (so this is not so practical if you mulch; row covers and landscaping cloth may be better solutions), 2) using beneficial insects like ladybugs, 3) deploying sticky traps; and 4) if you're not using beneficial insects, consider applying insecticidal soap sprays or natural insecticides like Neem oil as a last resort because these can also kill beneficial insects like bees.
A recent video produced by Cornell's Eastern New York Horticultural Program and available from Rensselaer County Extension's Facebook site explains how to recognize thrip damage as well as ways to control thrips.
Organic control solutions include 1) keeping soil under plants clear of debris because this is where thrip lavae go to pupate (so this is not so practical if you mulch; row covers and landscaping cloth may be better solutions), 2) using beneficial insects like ladybugs, 3) deploying sticky traps; and 4) if you're not using beneficial insects, consider applying insecticidal soap sprays or natural insecticides like Neem oil as a last resort because these can also kill beneficial insects like bees.
A recent video produced by Cornell's Eastern New York Horticultural Program and available from Rensselaer County Extension's Facebook site explains how to recognize thrip damage as well as ways to control thrips.
BTW: Rensselaer County Extension's Facebook site is a great source for information about all aspects of gardening. We've added it to the Related Resources links on the right side of this page.
The status of "neonics" in the U.S. varies. The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service in the Northwest has stopped using them in 2016on its feed crops for wild animals, and a few states also have banned them. New York has been considering a ban since 2016, but so far proposed legislation has not made it to either the Senate or Assembly floor for action leaving the NYS Dept. of Environmental Conservation just to promote a "best practices" approach towards limiting the use of "neonics" in the state.
Like many issues there are competing needs and interests. Neonicotinoids can be sprayed on plants, soaked into the ground around plants or used as coatings on seeds. They do not directly affect animals and birds as earlier insecticides did, but "neonics" do directly affect a few important groups of insect pests that are the bane of some farmers and turf managers (think golf courses & sport fields).
Neonicoinoids are absorbed by plants and then ingested by munching and sucking insects whose "brains" subsequently become fatally impaired. Birds are indirectly affected by having to cope with reduced insect populations -- they have less to eat. Honey bees and their kin pollinators seem to be affected by some of the residual compounds of neonicotinoids. -- Research also indicates that "neonics" may not decompose as quickly or as thoroughly as advertised and that there is also a leaching problem of these compounds into adjacent areas. This is both a problem for organic farmers as well as the natural environment.
Pollinators & Neonicotinoid Update
Neonicotinoid compounds comprise the largest group of insecticides used around the world today; and, in case you missed it, back in April, 2018 the European Union permanently banned the use of the three most commonly used neonicotinoids from outdoor use by farmers. The EU's action recognized that the growing body of research (e.g. Cornell's research summary) associating these chemicals with the decline in pollinator populations is simply too strong to be ignored. This is both good and bad news for European and British farmers - those growing certain field crops such as soy beans and corn are not happy; those raising crops that are highly dependent upon insects for pollination like fruits and many veggies are happy. |
| Source: USDA |
The status of "neonics" in the U.S. varies. The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service in the Northwest has stopped using them in 2016on its feed crops for wild animals, and a few states also have banned them. New York has been considering a ban since 2016, but so far proposed legislation has not made it to either the Senate or Assembly floor for action leaving the NYS Dept. of Environmental Conservation just to promote a "best practices" approach towards limiting the use of "neonics" in the state.
Like many issues there are competing needs and interests. Neonicotinoids can be sprayed on plants, soaked into the ground around plants or used as coatings on seeds. They do not directly affect animals and birds as earlier insecticides did, but "neonics" do directly affect a few important groups of insect pests that are the bane of some farmers and turf managers (think golf courses & sport fields).
Neonicoinoids are absorbed by plants and then ingested by munching and sucking insects whose "brains" subsequently become fatally impaired. Birds are indirectly affected by having to cope with reduced insect populations -- they have less to eat. Honey bees and their kin pollinators seem to be affected by some of the residual compounds of neonicotinoids. -- Research also indicates that "neonics" may not decompose as quickly or as thoroughly as advertised and that there is also a leaching problem of these compounds into adjacent areas. This is both a problem for organic farmers as well as the natural environment.
WHAT YOU CAN DO - The three most used "neonics" are imidacloprid, thiacloprid and clothianidin that are used extensively in agriculture, ornamental nurseries and incorporated into popular insecticides available to the general public. To minimize the impact of these compounds on the environment, you can
- Avoid buying insecticides that lists one or more of these ingredients.
- Plant native plants in your garden and maybe even some plants considered to be weeds like milkweed, mullen or Queen Anne's lace for bees and other pollinators.
- And finally, buy organic whenever you have a choice.
Agroecology - A New Farming Movment
Finally, FWIW: Recently an opinion piece in the New York Times,"Bringing Farming Back to Nature" by Daniel Moss and Mark Bittman (NYT June 26, 2018), introduced a new word to me, agroecology. The term identifies a growing world wide movement to incorporate ecological principles into agriculture.
Daniel Moss leads the AgroEcology Fund, an organization funding sustainable agriculture throughout the world. Mark Bittman, who needs little introduction to foodies now also spends time outside of the kitchen promoting healthy eating and sustainable agriculture. This short article worth a checking out to learn about ongoing efforts to move away from the monocultural farming model -- a little hopeful news is getting harder to find...
Daniel Moss leads the AgroEcology Fund, an organization funding sustainable agriculture throughout the world. Mark Bittman, who needs little introduction to foodies now also spends time outside of the kitchen promoting healthy eating and sustainable agriculture. This short article worth a checking out to learn about ongoing efforts to move away from the monocultural farming model -- a little hopeful news is getting harder to find...
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