Integrated Pest Management (IPM)UC Master Gardeners of Monterey & Santa Cruz

June 2019

What You’ll Learn• IPM defined

• Systematic approach to any pest (Insect, disease, weed or vertebrate)

• How to diagnose a problem with practical exercises

• Management strategies

• Common pests in our area

• Where to get help

• Field studies in the demo garden

What is IPM?

Integrated pest management (IPM)

is an ecosystem-based strategythat focuses on long-term prevention of pests or their

damage through a combination of techniques using chemicals only as a last resort and only for the targeted organism.

IPM Process

1. Inspect regularly2. Know your host plant

3. Prevent problems before they become problems

4. Identify the pests

5. Analyze the situation

6. Strategize the solution(s) and apply

7. Monitor success over time

Inspect The Garden

Weekly.

Hand watering is a good way to keep an eye on your plants’ health.

Look underneath leaves, color of leaves, look at stems and trunk, look closely and look often.

Know Your Host Plant

Provide proper cultural conditions:

• Right time of year

• Good soil conditions

• Appropriate – Water

– Sun exposure

– Nutrition

– Airflow

Prevent Problems

Ecosystem balance

• Diverse soil biota

• Insectary plants for beneficial insects

• Rotate crops

• Plant resistant varieties

Identify the Pest

Look for clues

• Feeding damage

• Frass or trails

• Part of plant affected

• Evidence of the perpetrator itself

• Signs of parasitism

Analyze the Situation

• Pest lifecycle

• Stage that causes problems

• Environment

• Cultural conditions

• Secondary pest issues

• Patterns within crop

• Geographic range and history

Diagnosis Checklist

Wait, Is It Really a Problem?

Tolerance levels

• Economic

• Aesthetic

• Does the pest kill the host or disfigure it?

• Is the plant at the end of life?

Strategize Solutions

1. Cultural

2. Physical

3. Biological

4. Chemical

In order of environmental impact

Cultural

Environmental Control

• Garden hygiene

• Solarize soil

• Sterilize tools

• Plant Selection

• Rogueing

Physical

Exclusion Barriers

• Netting

• Row covers

• Collars

• Sticky barriers

• Fencing

• Underwire

• Bagging fruit

Physical

Mechanical Control

• Hand picking

• Washing

• Trapping

• Weeding

Biological

Beneficial Organisms

• Predators

• Parasitoids

• Parasites

• Beneficial bacteria

Grow Insectary plants

• Insecticidal soap: soft bodied insects

• Bacillus thuringiensis : moth larvae

• Spray oils: soft bodied and dormant insects

• Pyrethrin: short acting broad spectrum insecticide

• Neem oil: soft bodied insects

• Vinegar: weeds

Low Toxicity Chemical

Chemical

• Insecticide

• Herbicides

• Bactericides

• Baits

Monitor Weekly

• Visual Inspection

• Sampling with traps pheromone, sticky, light or pit traps

• Collection – sweep, aspirators, shake plant into a sheet

• Record your findings

PRACTICE CASE STUDY #1

Symptoms

Curled, deformed leaves on new growth of the branch tips of an apple tree

Inspection

Cultural Considerations?

Analyze the Situation

Study up at

http://ipm.ucanr.edu/

Use the website several ways:

• Search for “curling leaves on apple”

• Look up by plant

• Look up by pest

• Use Plant problem diagnostic tool

Browse By PLANT

Browse By PEST

DIAGNOSTIC TOOL

Stumped? Ask a Master GardenerAsk the Master Gardener Hotline

http://mbmg.ucanr.edu/hotline/

What We Learned

Ants farming aphids. The aphid is sucking the plant juices, the ants are eating the honeydew produced by the aphids

Secondary infection of sooty mold growing on honeydew

Lady bug larva eating aphids

Lady bug adult also eating aphids

Aphids parasitized by parasitoid wasp

Is It Really a Problem?

• Will it kill the tree?

• Reduce fruit yield?

• Introduce disease?

• Stunt growth or weaken?

• Cosmetic?

• Take care of itself?

Management StrategiesMechanical: Strong spray of water

Cultural: prune off affected areas

Cultural: Tanglefoot around tree trunk to control the ants

Biological: predators already present

Low tox chemical: Soap spray effective

Chemical: not required

Monitor

COMMON PESTS IN OUR AREA

Local Insect Pests You May FindType Host Damage stage

Aphids Range of vegetable plants and weeds

Adult & nymph

Cabbageworm Leafy vegetable plants, especially brassicas

Larvae

Leafhoppers Range of vegetables, flowers, fruits and woody plants

Adult

Leafminers Range of vegetables & flowers

Larvae

Leafrollers Ornamental and fruit trees

Larvae

Top 10 Local Insect PestsType Host Damage stage

Loopers Range of vegetable plants Larvae

Mealybugs Range of vegetables, ornamentals and trees

Adults & Nymphs

Scale Range of vegetables, ornamentals and trees

Adults & Nymphs

Thrips Herbaceous plants, flowers, and woody plants

Adults

Whiteflies Range of vegetables, ornamentals and weeks

Adults

Other Invertebrate PestsType Host Dammage stage

Earwig Range of vegetable plants and weeds

Adult

Slugs & Snails Range of plants Adult

Sow bug & Pill bug Not a pest! Eats decaying vegetation

Nematodes Soil dwelling, affects plant roots and stems

Adult

Arthropods – Beneficial PredatorsType Prey Predator stage

Ladybird beetle Aphids Larvae and adult

Praying Mantis Generalist predator Adult and nymph

Minute Pirate bugs Wide variety of small insects

Adult and nymph

Lacewings Wide variety of small insects

Larvae and adult

Syrphid fly Aphids and other soft bodied insects

Larvae

Arthropods – Beneficial Predators

Arthropods – Beneficial Parasitoids

Name Type Prey Predator stage

Trichogramma Wasp

Parasitic wasp A wide range of herbivore egg hosts on a range of plants

Adult

Tachinid Fly Parasitic fly Variety of herbivore hosts on a range of plants

Adult

Hyposter -Hymenoptera

Caterpillar parasite

Caterpillar lavae in various crops

Adult

PRACTICE CASE STUDY #2

Who’s Eating My Cabbage?

Inspection

Start inspection in the daytime, do you see frass? What do you notice about the feeding damage?Do you see slugs, snails or caterpillers? Do you see slime trails? Do you see eggs on the underside of leaves? Do you see white butterflies flitting about? Look under the leaves and on the stem

What do you see when you go out at 10:00 at night with a flashlight?

Cultural Considerations?

Time of year?Habitat for pests?Weather & Temperature?Host plant stress?

Analyze the Situation

Study up at

http://ipm.ucanr.edu/

Use the website several ways:

• Look up by plant

• Look up by pest

• Use Plant problem diagnostic tool

• Search for “feeding damage on cabbage”

Is It Really a Problem?

• What’s your tolerance for invertebrates in your food?

• Will they stunt or kill the plant?

Who’s Eating My Cabbage?

Earwig Slug or Snail Cabbage Butterfly

Earwig Management StrategiesMechanical: hand pick, trap

Environmental: Remove habitat, clean up debris

Chemical: Spinosad (OMRI)Earwig

Slug Management Strategies

Mechanical: hand pick, trap, copper strip exclusion

Cultural: Remove habitat, clean up debris, reduce moisture

Biological: chickens, ducks

Chemical: commercial snail bait (Sluggo is wildlife safe)

Slug or Snail

Cabbage Larvae Management Strategies

Mechanical: hand pick, row cover barrier

Cultural: Plant insectary flowers for beneficials

Low Tox Chemical: Bt, pyrethrin

Chemical: not recommended

Cabbage Butterfly

Monitor

PATHOGENS

Disease Triangle

Types of Pathogens

Fungal

• Powdery Mildew

• Black spot

• Fusarium Wilt

• Damping off

• Rust

• Scab

• Wilt leaf curl

Bacterial & Water Molds

• Bacterial Soft Rot

• Bacterial Leaf Spot

• Phytophthora

• Downy Mildew

Viral

• Mosaic

• Curly Top

• Tobacco Mosaic

As If That Weren’t Enough…

Insects can vector plant diseases

• Psyllids => Huanglongbing disease

• Bark Beetle => Dutch Elm disease

• Aphids => Mosaic virus

• Leafhoppers => Curly top

• Thrips => Spotted wilt virus

General Guide In Case of Disease

• Once you see the disease, it’s usually too late

• Prevention is the best approach

• Remove diseased plants or plant parts

– DO NOT COMPOST

• Grow resistant varieties

• Attend to the growingenvironment to minimizerisk

EXERCISE -To Treat or Not To Treat

Black spot on rose leaves

Verticillium wilt on tomatoes

Black Spot

Caused by the fungus Diplocarpon rosae• Don’t allow leaves to

remain wet for more than 7 hours.

• Remove affected leaves and trash

• Clean up leaf residue • Space plants for good

airflow• Plant in 6-8 hours of sun• Choose disease resistant

varieties• Last resort: fungicide

Verticillium Wilt

Caused by the fungus Verticillium dahliae

• Remove the plant and dispose in trash

• Solarize soil next year

• Choose resistant varieties

• Rotate crop year-to-year

A WORD ABOUT WEEDS

Good Weed / Bad Weed

Why we like weeds

• Catch crop

• Soil cover

• Nectar & food source

• Habitat for beneficials

• Source of organic material

• May be edible

When we don’t like weeds

Weeds compete for resources

• Spread through rhizome

• Re-seeds like crazy

• Fast growing

• Tolerant of poor soils, drought or salt

• Perennial vs. annual

Types of Weeds

Life span

• Annual

• Perennial

• Biennial

Family Line

Broadleaf

Grass

Sedge, Rush

Reproductive Strategy

• Energy UP (seed)

• Energy DOWN (stolon, bulb, etc.)

Weed Management

• Weed mat exclusion

• Mulch

• Cultivation

• Solarization

• Mow or string trim

• Flaming

• Last Resort: Herbicide

Weeds to Watch Out ForWeed Notes Management

Bermuda grass Perennial grass, spreads through rhizome, never rototill

Solarize, mulch

Bindweed Annual broadleaf, spreading roots may reach 20’, 3-5 years to fully kill

Cultivate to starve roots, mulch, herbicide

Curlydock Perennial broadleaf with a taproot

Prevent re-seed, pull taproot

Dandelion Annual Broadleaf with a taproot Prevent re-seed, pull taproot

Kikuygrass Perennial grass with aggressive rhizome

Solarize, mulch

Mallow Annual Broadleaf with a taproot Weed wack then dig taproot

Nutsedge Perennial sedge with tubers Dig out tubers and remove shoots

Plantain Annual broadleaf with invasive seed

Prevent re-seed

Oxalis Perennial broadleaf, Shade loving with a corm root

Cultivate above ground to starve root

Glyphosate

Reserve for pernicious weeds like bindweed, Bermuda grass, wild berries and the like.

Apply judiciously and in controlled manner.

Review : IPM Process

1. Inspect regularly2. Know your host plant

3. Prevent problems before they become problems

4. Identify the pests

5. Analyze the situation

6. Strategize the solution(s) and apply

7. Monitor success over time

Win Big by Looking At Small ThingsRaffel Prizes

FIELD STUDY!

APPENDIX

References • UC IPM Website

http://ipm.ucanr.edu/

• Plants that Attract Beneficial Insectshttps://permaculturenews.org/2014/10/04/plants-attract-beneficial-insects/

• Master Gardener Handbookhttps://smile.amazon.com/California-Master-Gardener-Handbook-2nd/dp/1601078579/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1497906313&sr=8-1&keywords=master+gardener+handbook

• Pests of the Garden and Small Farm https://smile.amazon.com/Pests-Garden-Small-Farm-Pesticide/dp/1879906406/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1497906357&sr=8-1&keywords=pests+of+the+garden+and+small+farm

• Pests of Landscape Trees and Shrubshttps://smile.amazon.com/Pests-Landscape-Trees-Shrubs-Integrated/dp/1879906619/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1497906388&sr=8-2&keywords=pests+of+the+landscape+and+trees

Handouts for this Class

• Checklist for plant diagnosishttp://cemendocino.ucanr.edu/files/192044.pdf

• Grow an insectaryhttp://eartheasy.com/grow_garden_insectary.htm

• Monitoring – Field Observations Record Sheet (p.29)• https://casfs.ucsc.edu/about/publications/Teaching-Organic-Farming/PDF-

downloads/1.8-arthropod-pests.pdf

References:

Continued

Burrowing Mammals

Type Damage Management

Gopher Eats roots or takes whole plant

Trap, exclude, bait

Mole Eats grubs, disturbs soil surface

Trap, bait, ignore

Vole(aka field mouse)

Eats flowers, leaves and fruit

Trap, exclude, bait

Gopher – Know Your Pest

Lifestyle• Solitary, territorial

• Active spring and fall, morning and evening

• Re-use gopher runs

Pocket Gopher Fun Facts• Eats 60% of body weight/day

• Range: up to 700 yards

• Navigate backwards in tunnels using their tails

• Breed in spring, 3-4 pups per year

• Live 2-3 years

• Naturally hemophiliac

• Gets moisture from food

• Nests up to 6’ deep

More info at http://ipm.ucanr.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn7433.html

Mole - Know Your PestLifestyle• Solitary, territorial

• Active year round

• Feeding paths just under soil surface

• Not an herbivore

• Not a rodent

More info at http://ipm.ucanr.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn74115.html

Mole Gopher Fun Facts• Eat invertebrates; insects and

grubs

• Territory up to 2.5 acres(!)

• Active after rain or watering

• Lives for 6 years, produce 2-7 pups

• Blind and have 6 fingers

• Have velvety fur allow them to move forward or back in tunnels

Vole –Know Your PestLifestyle• Gregarious, social

• Active day/night all year

• Appear above and below ground

• Eat grasses, plants and tree roots

Vole Fun Facts• Rapid population changes – up to

1000’s per acre

• Connected burrows with runways

• Burrow openings 1.5-2 inches

• Poor climbers More info at http://ipm.ucanr.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn7439.html

Common Name: Field Mouse