What YOU Can Do to Help
Natural Enemies.
1.
Reduce rate and/or frequency of pesticide applications
2.
Use selective pesticides
3.
Use microbial insecticides
4.
Use an �economic threshold� (ET)
5.
Incorporate natural enemy induced mortality into the ET
6.
Spot-treat or simply remove infested plants
7.
Stop treating minor pests
8.
Learn true costs of pesticide applications
9.
�Experiment with biological
control like you do with plant varieties
10.
�Establish natural enemy
�refugia�
11.
�Plant flowering plants or those
rich in nectaries to attract natural enemies
12.
�Use cover crops
13.
�Collect pests to rear and
liberate natural enemies
14.
�Participate in classical
biological control projects
15.
�Increase soil organic matter
16.
�Practice conservation tillage
17.
�Use strip cropping practices
18.
�Reduce dust near trees and
shrubs
19.
�Control ants when key pests
produce excess liquid excrement
20.
�Encourage neighboring farms/
gardens to reduce pesticide use
21.
�Farm/garden organically
22.
�Apply �sweet water� to attract
natural enemies
23.
�Use �BC-friendly� resistant
plant varieties
24.
�Learn to identify �key� and
�minor� pests
25.
�Learn to identify major groups
of natural enemies
26. �Learn to identify signs and symptoms of diseased or parasitized insects
27. Keep a garden diary to record what you do, what you see and how well it worked.