Integrated Pest Management: Stocktons Organic Farm

Richard Stockton College of New Jersey

Celenia Rivera

Table of Contents
Abstract
. Page 3
Brief

background:

Integrated

Pest

Management Page 3- 5
Insects
Page 5- 15
Two types of insects:
.. Page 5-9

Beneficial

Beneficial
Insects
found
on
Farm Page 10- 11
Harmful
Insects
found
on
Farm....Page 12- 14

and

the
the

Harmful

(tables)

Stockton

Organic

Stockton

Organic

Garlic-Peppermint
Pesticide.Page 14
GarlicCayenne
Organic
.Page 15

Organic
Pesticide

Other Pests we have encountered on Stocktons organic

farm Page 15-18
References
.. Page 19

Abstract
This paper is going to be a starting point for integrated pest
management (IPM) on the organic farm located on Stocktons campus.
First it will briefly explain integrated pest management and what it
involves, and then it will focus largely on insect management. There
will be an overview on the two different kinds of insects in regards to
farming: beneficial and harmful. Then the paper will take a closer look
at the insects that were found on the farm this summer season and the
actions taken to promote the beneficial insects and deter the harmful
insects. The success of each of the actions will be determined, if
possible, and future actions to prepare the farm for the next summer
season will also be discussed. After the insects are discussed the other
pests found on the farm will be briefly discussed including voles,
groundhogs, rabbits, and deer. The actions taken to deter these pests
will be discussed as well as their success determined.
Brief Background: Integrated Pest Management
Integrated pest management according to the United States
Environmental Protection Agencys (EPA) website is an effective and
environmentally sensitive approach to pest management that relies on
3

combination

of

common-sense

practices

("Integrated

pest

management," 2014.) The goal of integrated pest management is to

control pest damage using the least amount of money while protecting
the safety of people, property, and the environment. This is done with
comprehensive information about the life cycles of pests and their
relation to the environment as well as various available pest control
methods. The EPAs website continues on to say that the practice of IPM
is known to include the judicious use of pesticides, but in organic
farming, such as ours, the use of pesticides is limited to pesticides
from natural sources versus those composed of synthetic chemicals.
Integrated pest management programs have four main steps,
which include setting action thresholds, monitoring and identifying
pests, prevention, and control. So what does setting an action
threshold mean? An action threshold is the point in which action is
taken, in IPM the action threshold is when the pest population or pest
damage is enough to pursue action against the pest; to control its
population or to reduce the damage it is causing. Basically if you see
one bug in your garden, you are not going to invest a whole bunch of
time and effort in an action plan, but if there is a large pest population
or a large amount of damage to your garden and it has become an
economic threat to you, action is warranted, and that is the action
threshold. Once the action threshold is breached, we reach the second
step in IPM, monitoring and identifying pests.

In your area whether it be a farm or garden there will be multiple

pests some innocuous, some beneficial, and some harmful. When using
IPM the goal is to identify all the pests so that you know which ones are
causing the damage seen in your area. Once the harmful insects are
identified an effective method of controlling the harmful insects can be
determined, without identifying the insect an ineffective method can
be used wasting money and time. The third step of IPM is prevention.
In the agricultural setting it is imperative that you create a
habitat that attracts beneficial insects and deters the harmful. Using
specific crops and rotating them a particular way can create a suitable
habitat as well as keeping and getting rid of certain weeds and having
rocks and perennial plants. Even growing pest resistant varieties of
plants can ward off unwanted pests. These particular preventative
actions are explained later in the paper. These different actions are
preventative and cost efficient, but if these actions do not stop the
pest invasion, the last step must be used. If preventative measures
are not available or effective the next step in an IPM program is to
evaluate the effective control method to stop the harmful pests, which
can include interrupting their mating, trapping, or even pesticides. On
the organic farm at Stockton, organic pesticides have been relied on
for some of the major pest problems that have been faced.
Insects
Two types of Insects: Beneficial and Harmful

Below are two tables. The first table labeled Table 1 is a list of the
most common beneficial insects, why they are beneficial, the plants
that attract it, and what supplies a gardener or farmer will need to
attract the bug. Table 2 lists the most common harmful bugs to a
garden or farm and what damage they are known to cause. These
tables make it easier to identify the most common beneficial and
harmful bugs as well as what preventative measures that need to be
taken. Those that are highlighted are the ones that were found during
the summer season on Stocktons organic farm.
Health Safety

Table 1
Bug
Lady
Bug

Lace
Wings

What it
eats/benefic
ial qualities
Aphids/ soft
bodied
insects.

Plants it
likes

Aphids,
thrips,
scales,
moth eggs,
small
caterpillars,
mites

Flower
nectar

Supplies
needed

ID

Any
Flowers
nectar/
pollen
producing
flower
Flowers
that
produce
nectar

Hover
Flies

Aphids in
tight places

Also
pollinates
strawberries
/ raspberries
Predato Tomato
ry bugs hornworms,
Minute
thirps,
pirate
spider
bugs,
mites,
ambush insect eggs,
,
leafhopper
assassin nymphs,
bugs
corn
earworms,
small
caterpillars.
Ground
beetles

Slugs,
snails,
cutworms,
root
maggots,
Colorado
potato
beetle
larvae.
Parasitic Attacks
Or
eggs of
hunting many pests.
wasps
One of most
important
insects for
gardens
Spiders Eat insectsimportant in
stopping
pest out
breaks

Flowers/
nectar
and
pollen

Flowers
nectar
and pollen

Willows,
buckwhe
at, corn,
nectar
and
pollen
from
flowers.
Also likes
bunchgra
ss, shrubs
for
shelter
Perennial
ground
covers,
logs,
stones

Flowers,
bunchgras
s/ shrubs/
corn,
willows,
buckwhea
t

Nectar/
pollen of
flowers

Flowers

Permanen
t
perennial
plantings
Straw
mulches

Perennial
plantings/
straw
mulches

Stones,
logs

Name:

ID

Aphids
Tachinid
flies

Cutworms,
armyworms,
tent
caterpillars,
cabbage
Birch Leaf
loopers,
miners hypsy
moths,
sawflies,
japenese
beetles,
squash
Coloradobugs, and
potato sowbugs.
Beetle Mosquitoes,
Dragon
Flies
aphids,
other pest
bugs
Crcuifer
Honey
Pollinate
Flea
Bees
plants
Beetle

Gypsy
Moth

Japanese
beetle

Nectar
and
pollen

What makes them

harmful

Feed on sap in shoots,

leaves, buds, and
flowers flowers
found these in farm
Larvae eat inside of
foliage turning leaves
brown

wetlands

Flowering
plants

Feed on potato, tomato

and eggplant, strip
foliage
right down to
pond
veins

Feed on leaves- shot

flowers
hole appearance. Like
cole crops, crucifers,
radishes, and turnips.

Feed on roots, will

defoliate trees.

Feed on roots, foliage

and flowers really like
tuft grass roots.

Table 2

Found one of these

(dead) in farm

Spider
mites

Leaf sap/ watch for

speckling or bronze
leaf color
8

Beneficial Insects found on Stocktons organic farm

At the beginning of the summer season the most abundant
beneficial insect found on Stocktons organic farm was the ladybug.
Ladybugs eat various soft-bodied insects including one of the most
notoriously harmful insects for farms and gardens, aphids. As the

summer season went on progressively decreasing numbers of ladybugs

were seen, but throughout the summer season various students found
predatory bugs on the farm, such as stink bugs. Predatory bugs eat
many different insects as well as insect eggs so they are a great
addition to any farm or garden. There were also many spiders present,
especially in the pine needle mulch we laid down on some of the
different vegetables. Spiders limit populations of insects in your
garden, preventing pest outbreaks. Throughout the season honeybees
were present, this is great because they pollinate plants of your
garden, attracting other beneficial insects; therefore, having a bee
farm right next to us definitely came in handy.
Towards the end of the summer season ladybugs were harder to
find, but dragonflies became a common thing to see. Dragonflies eat
mosquitoes, aphids, and other harmful bugs so they are also good
bugs to have on a farm. I was surprised we saw so many dragonflies on
the farm because online sources said that the best way to attract
dragonflies was to have a body of water, such as a pond, on your farm
or in your garden, which we do not have. Mary and I mused that it may
be that they have a close by nest, but after doing some research I
found that dragonflies do not maintain nests. After a little more
research I found an article that explained although a water source is
vital for dragonflies to survive it does not need to be a complex one. As
long as the water source has a rock that the larvae can hide

10

underneath, the dragonflies are likely to survive, mix that with the
variety of trees, grasses, and other plants surrounding our farm as well
as the farms budding flowers and that describes perfect habitat for a
dragonfly.
To promote the presence of beneficial insects in our farm we
strived to keep the farm diverse. Diversity allows for a multitude of
nectars and pollens therefore attracting a larger spectrum of insects.
We would also keep an occasional weed untouched because it also
adds to the diversity of the farm and allows habitat for certain
beneficial insects. We also allowed some of our plants to flower,
attracting even more insects. One of the biggest projects undertaken
to promote beneficial insects, as well as deter harmful pests from
eating our main crops, was planting boundary flowers and vegetables.
On the inside boundary of our fence I planted purple and red scarlet
Zinnias, giant orange and a durango outback mix of marigolds, hybrid
zucchini squashes, persian carpet zinnias, marketmore cucumbers,
bells of Ireland, salpiglossis, a sea shells mix of cosmos, corn poppies,
green tint summer squash, an Alaska mix of nasturtium, and a
beneficial insect attractant mix that has fourteen different species of
flowers in it. These boundary flowers and vegetables will hopefully
deter harmful pests from eating the other crops, because once coming
through the fence they will come into contact with these plants first.
Hopefully it will also attract beneficial insects through the diversity of

11

pollens and nectars available in all the different flowers. It is too early
to tell if the boundary plants are successful, they were planted in late
July. For those working on IPM in the future, I would suggest to plant
boundary plants earlier on in the summer season, such as in May. This
way not only will it attract beneficial insects starting at the beginning
of the season and deter pests, but it will also provide more concrete
results on how successful it is by the end of the season.
Harmful Insects found on the Stockton Organic Farm
The first time working on the farm the first bug I found was an
aphid, they are small little green soft bodied insects, which feed on the
sap in shoots, leaves, buds and flowers. They drain the sap from the
plant weakening it and causing it to curl, swell, and become discolored.
Fortunately, aphids never became a serious pest issue on the farm this
summer season; the ladybugs living on the farm controlled the aphid
population as well as the other pest control methods used by the
students on the farm. Another harmful insect I found on the farm was
the Japanese beetle; the specimen I found was dead and was located
near the hoop house. Japanese beetles feed on roots, foliage, and
flowers, but their preference is tuft grass, there is a large amount of
tuft grass near the hoop house and I believe this is why I found this
specimen in that location. The Japanese beetles never became a huge
issue on the farm this summer season. Spruce budworms and scale
insects were also detected on various plants in the farm, their

12

populations never became out of control to where there was large

amounts of damage. Scale insects just like aphids, feed on the sap of
the plant meanwhile spruce budworms larvae feed on foliage. A
mixture of preventative measures such as attracting beneficial insects
and control methods such as spraying organic pesticides controlled the
populations of these various insects.
There was one harmful insect that was a huge problem this
summer season, the Colorado potato beetle. The Colorado potato
beetle eats potatoes, tomatoes, and eggplant right down the veins,
and attacked many of our plants throughout our season. In response to
the infestation of Colorado potato beetle, as well as a huge vole
problem explained later in the paper, I made a Garlic Peppermint
organic pesticide, which we sprayed on the vegetables being attacked
by the insect. This spray was mildly successful, it worked for the first
two to three weeks, but then became useless in our fight to rid our
farm of the insect. Another intern, Christian, made a putrid egg organic
pesticide, which worked much better on the infestation because it was
effective for a much longer period of time.
For the future I suggest that rotation of organic pesticides be
tested. For example, on a plot use the garlic-peppermint spray for one
week, then the putrid egg spray the next week, then back to the garlic
peppermint spray etc... . In this rotation it will be harder for insects as
well as other pests to become acclimated to the taste of the spray,

13

which is the reason Jessica, Mary and I believe the garlic spray became
less effective. It would also be interesting to compare that plot with
two other plots; one with just the putrid egg spray and one with just
the garlic peppermint spray to see if rotating works, or if it is just
better to stick with one organic pesticide. It would also be interesting
to test the potency of the garlic spray by making it at different time
intervals and seeing how successful it is. Meaning, using a garlic spray
that is a day old, versus a week old, two weeks old etc to see if there
is a difference in potency; because, reducing potency with time could
have also been a reason why the garlic spray made this year became
ineffective after two to three weeks.
Now that I have discussed the effectiveness of the garlic
peppermint spray I made and how to test its potency and effectiveness
in further studies, I will discuss how it was made. After that I will also
discuss how the garlic and cayenne pepper organic pesticide was
made, which is currently being used for the beginning of the fall farm
season.
Garlic- Peppermint Organic Pesticide
What you need:

4 cloves of garlic
2 ounces of Dr. Bronners organic peppermint soap
A pitcher (that you will use only for this)
Cheesecloth
Spray bottle
Blender
A large bowl
14

Water
I tablespoon vegetable oil

Directions:

Put all of the ingredients in a blender; fill the blender 3/4 of

the way to the top with water.
Blend the ingredients for about 3 minutes, or until they all the
ingredients are blended together.
Pour the mixture in the pitcher and let sit for at least twenty
four hours.
Wrap the cheesecloth around the top of the bowl and pour the
mixture slowly through the cheesecloth allowing the pieces of
garlic to be filtered out.
Put resulting mixture into the spray bottle.
Spray mixture in plants you want protected from various pests
in your garden or farm.
Apply after it rains because it will be washed off easily when it
rains.
Safety: gloves recommended

Garlic- Cayenne Organic Pesticide

Ingredients:

4 cloves of garlic
4 tablespoons of dried cayenne pepper
1 1/2 gallons of water
4 tablespoons of vegetable oil
blender
Pitcher (2 )
Cheesecloth (optional)

Directions:

Put one clove of garlic into the blender, One tablespoon of

cayenne pepper, 4 cups of water, and one tablespoon of
vegetable oil and then blend for 2 minutes.
Pour resulting mix into the pitcher.
15

Repeat 3 times.
Let spray sit for at least 24 hours before applying to vegetables.
Strain the mix if garlic pieces clog the spray bottle used.
Other Pests we have encountered on Stocktons Organic
Farm
There are many other pests that can be encountered on the

farm; although insects were my main focus, on the Stockton Organic

Farm we also encountered voles, rabbits, groundhogs, and deer.
Christian, another summer intern focused his research on deer and
deer deterrents, so I will leave deer to him since it is his area of focus.
Out of these various pests my main focus was the voles and the
groundhog because they were doing the most damage, especially to
our tomatoes.
After doing some research I realized our farm was prime habitat
for voles, we had tall grasses surrounding the farm, providing cover for
them to travel from place to place. Also although we do have fencing
that has been put around the perimeter down to twelve inches into the
ground, to keep voles and other digging pests out, there is a ditch near
the far side of the farm where the ditch is as deep as the fencing,
making the fencing useless because they can just dig under the fence
(there is no twelve inches there because the ditch is as deep as the
fence). During the winter, voles make tunnels in the snow allowing
them safe travel place to place, so the more snow cover throughout
the winter, the easier it is for the voles to mate, travel, and have more

16

habitat. Our area received a large amount of snow this winter;

therefore, throughout the winter months the ground was continuously
snow covered allowing the vole population to have more time to
increase. Once the snow melted the voles lose their tunnels and need
to find cover from their predators, tall grasses allow for this coverage
so they seek out these habitats during the spring and summer months.
Therefore, cutting down these grasses will make the area around the
farm less habitable for the voles.
So we pickaxed the tall grasses around the perimeter of the
farm, and mowed the grasses surrounding the farm. After this, we filled
up any of the vole tunnels we could find. Once this action was taken,
less and less damage was seen from voles. We had cleared the tall
grasses and applied the organic pesticides around the same time;
therefore I believe that the combination of the organic pesticide and
clearing the tall grasses are an effective way of controlling vole
populations on Stocktons organic farm. In the future, to help control
vole populations further, I think it would be a great investment to get
some dirt to fill up the ditch on the far end of the farm. I think this is
where most of the voles are entering the farm due to the large amount
of vole tunnels found in this area. Even though, unfortunately, there
were vole tunnels found on all sides of the fence showing that the
fencing in the ground is unsuccessful in keeping voles out of the farm.
As I said earlier, we also planted various perimeter plants to deter the

17

voles and distract them from our main plants. We are hoping the
various vegetables fill the voles, that way they get full before they
even reach our main crops. If the current perimeter plants are deemed
unsuccessful I suggest that we add Scilla, hellebores, daffodils, and
alliums to the perimeter plants, because all four plants are known to
deter voles. Daffodils and hellebores are especially effective because
they are toxic to voles.
Recently the farm has had a groundhog feeding on the tomatoes.
We expect that the groundhog is coming into the farm through the far
side of the fence. Currently the groundhog has not been caught, we do
have a humane trap that we have been baiting with older vegetables
that we have grown on our farm, but it has not taken the bait. I suggest
that we try fruits for bait instead of vegetables since groundhogs prefer
fruit, to see if that will be more successful. A more preventative
measure to deter groundhogs is to use scare tactics. A scarecrow, a
pinwheel, anything that moves with wind will easily scare groundhogs
away from the farm. I think it will be a good idea to put small
pinwheels in a couple spots around the perimeter of the farm,
especially in the area that is believed to be where the groundhog is
entering and by the tomatoes, the plant it is feeding on the most.
This summer season the farm has not experienced extensive
damage from rabbits but there still has been some. The organic
pesticides that have been applied to our vegetables seem to have

18

controlled

their

damage

for

the

most

part.

Our

beans

were

unsuccessful due to a pest that has not been identified, but due to
rabbits known love for beans, I am guessing this may have been the
reason. Next time beans are planted on the farm, I think it would be a
good idea to put greenbrier, a common thorny vine of the Pine Barrens
around the plants. The thorns will hurt the rabbits feet and keep them
from eating the plants, online resources suggest rose vines, but these
are not as common in the area our farm is in, I think greenbrier would
be a just as good substitute, and may lead to a more successful bean
harvest. Another good idea I saw online would be to put individual
fences around the bean plants, to keep the rabbits from feeding on
them, this is not the most attractive way to deter them, but would
probably be the most effective.
Overall there are still many ideas that need to be implemented
on the farm concerning integrated pest management, but the ones
that have been implemented have been quite successful. The putrid
egg spray was the most successful organic pesticide created this
summer season, the garlic peppermint spray was only effective for
three weeks and the garlic-cayenne pepper spray has just started
being used, but will hopefully be more effective than the last garlic
spray. The success of the cayenne spray along with the perimeter
plants will be more noticeable in the upcoming weeks. The clearing of
the tall grasses has been successful in keeping the vole population low

19

on the farm, and the grasses will be maintained to keep the voles out.
The maintenance of the tall grasses along with the future filling of the
ditch should be a satisfactory control method for the vole population.
In the future hellebores, daffodils, alliums, and Scilla should be planted
with perimeter plants further deterring voles from the farm. More
needs to be done to control the groundhog that has been entering the
farm; changing the bait and adding a scare tactic such as a few
pinwheels may do the trick, these control methods will be added to the
farm shortly. Next time planting beans, greenbrier or rose bush vines
should be placed on the ground near the plants, to protect them from
rabbits. These different preventative and pest control methods will help
keep pest populations low and the Stockton organic farm healthy and
vibrant.
References
1. Oder, T. (2012, June 28). Good bug, bag bug: How can you tell the difference?. Retrieved
from http://www.mnn.com/your-home/organic-farming-gardening/stories/good-bug-badbug-how-can-you-tell-the-difference
2. Robbins, R. (2011, March 02). Organic pesticides. Retrieved from
http://www.mnn.com/your-home/organic-farming-gardening/stories/organic-pesticides
3. Phipps, N. (2013, October 17). Repelling bad bugs with plants. Retrieved from
http://www.gardeningknowhow.com/plant-problems/pests/repelling-bad-bugs-withplants.htm
4. Phipps, N. (2014, May 12). Getting rid of bad bugs with beneficial insects. Retrieved
from http://www.gardeningknowhow.com/plant-problems/pests/getting-rid-of-bad-bugswith-beneficial-insects.htm
5. Bug chart. (2014). Retrieved from http://earthbox.com/bug-chart
6. Meet the beneficial insects. (2014). Retrieved from
http://www.organicgardening.com/learn-and-grow/meet-beneficial-insects?page=0,0

20

7. How to keep groundhogs out of a garden. (n.d.). Retrieved from

http://www.ehow.com/how_2079933_keep-groundhogs-out-garden.html
8. Invite dragonflies into your garden. (2014). Retrieved from
http://www.hgtv.com/gardening/invite-dragonflies-into-your-garden/index.html
9. Integrated pest management (ipm) principles. (2014, August 05). Retrieved from
http://www.epa.gov/opp00001/factsheets/ipm.htm
10. Frequently asked questions. (2009, July 27). Retrieved from
http://www.ipminstitute.org/faq.htm
11. Insects that will attack your garden. (2012). Retrieved from
http://www.gardenersgardening.com/insects.html
12. Love, M. (n.d.). Flowers to deter voles. Retrieved from
http://www.ehow.com/info_8782444_flowers-deter-voles.html
13. Palmer, G. D. (n.d.). Home remedies to keep rabbits out of the garden. Retrieved from
http://homeguides.sfgate.com/home-remedies-keep-rabbits-out-garden-50093.html
14. Sanders, A. (n.d.). How to deter rabbits from a garden. Retrieved from
http://www.ehow.com/how_4443152_deter-rabbits-from-garden.html

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