Trap crops such as sorghum, triticale, buckwheat and sunflowers planted along field borders can be used to attract stinkbugs away from cash crops.
If you are interested in learning how to manage pests using integrated pest management (IPM) strategies on a whole farm or whole landscape level, a team of University of Florida IFAS Extension faculty has developed a series of video modules just for you. These modules were developed at the UF/IFAS Suwannee Valley Agricultural Extension Center near Live Oak, FL where the 300 acre farm has been transformed into a Living IPM Laboratory putting these IPM strategies into real life practices. The farm is now implementing several innovative IPM strategies to manage pests and has reduced pesticide use by more than 50%. When you watch these short video modules, you will learn how to implement strategies such as using trap crops and insect monitoring traps; creating plant habitat for beneficial insects; using birds, bats, and owls as pest predators; enhancing the landscape for native pollinators; and scouting to best target management strategies. These video modules are now available on the UF IFAS Virtual Field Day web site.
The direct link to the IPM Whole Farm Modules is http://vfd.ifas.ufl.edu/whole-farm-ipm.shtml.
This ongoing project is supported with funding from University of Florida IFAS, USDA NIFA Extension IPM Program, Southern Region IPM Center, and Southern Region Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SSARE) Program, and the Suwannee Conservation District.
IPM Training Video Modules:
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Whole Farm IPM Overview
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Whole IPM Field Sites
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Developing Habitat Areas
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Plants That Attract Beneficial Insects
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Role of Pollinators
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Role of Bats and Owls
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Role of Birds and Other Predators
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Role of Insect Traps
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Role of Trap Crops
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Scouting Techniques to Manage Pests
Additional Resources related to this topic:
demayo@ufl.edu - 850-482-9620
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