From steved@ncatark.uark.edu Thu Jan 29 00:02:26 1998 Date: Wed, 28 Jan 1998 11:44:27 +0000 From: Steve Diver To: sanet-mg@shasta.ces.ncsu.edu Subject: Re: Biobased Pest Management SAN-netters, Following are some messages that provide an update on the pest break strips (insect regugia) and selective insect vacuming at NaturFarm by Everett Dietrick of Rincon-Vitova. I've changed the subject line back to the original to keep this thread going. This biobased approach is one of the more advanced biocontrol applications in sustainable agriculture I think you will find anywhere on the planet. Steve Diver ATTRA ------- Forwarded Message Follows ------- Date: Tue, 27 Jan 1998 08:14:43 -0800 Reply-to: AGRISYNERGY From: Beth von Gunten Subject: Re: inquery re: vacuuming bugs: followup To: AGRISYNERGY@MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU I forewarded the recent question & comment on bug vacs to Jan Dietrick at Rincon Vitova, who's firm has developed and worked extensively with them, to see if she had anything to add. This is what I got back. Beth von Gunten Ventura County, California ----------------------------------- >Date: Tue, 27 Jan 1998 00:01:54 -0800 (PST) >X-Sender: jdietrick@west.net >Mime-Version: 1.0 >To: colibri@west.net (Beth von Gunten) >From: bugnet@west.net (Rincon-Vitova Insectaries) >Subject: Re: inquery re: vacuuming bugs: followup > >Hello Beth, > >Re: Steve Diver's reply to Lon J. Rombough about Biobased Pest Management >and vacuuming pests like we did at Naturfarm. > >Im not aware of anyone else developing a vacuum machine that collects the >pests in bags for study, sorting, harvesting parasites and/or disposal like >Everett Dietrick did during the Naturfarm Conversion Project. This is >different from other vacuums like the "Salad Vac" promoted a few years ago >in Salinas valley that chewed up all the insects and sent them out the back >with potential of spreading diseases. Since the Naturfarm conversion study >finished in 1994 we have loaned out the scooter vac with the 6 foot boom and >3 bags to a couple of growers. Allan Bornt used it a bit in Holtsville one >season when whitefly were overwhelming his alfalfa cover crop >interplantings. It has been parked in our garage for over a year. The >academic community did not find the Naturfarm conversion report substantive >to their standards. No researcher has ever expressed any interest to us in >investigating our vacuum strategy. > >Our new Dietrick Institute of Applied Insect Ecology has another grant to >recruit/train cooperators in agroecology strategies for pollution prevention >and after two years we just today recruited a cooperator with a farm similar >to the challenge at Naturfarm who appears interested to apply the strategy >we used at Naturfarm in large-scale lettuce/brocolli type of production near >Santa Maria. If they will install covercrop strips and if they do become >trap crops for pests, we will dust off the scooter vac and haul it to that >farm. And we will do another case study report like we did of Naturfarm so >others can learn what we tried and what happened. > >It is gratifying to hear about people reading the Naturfarm report. >Naturfarm Foundation was going to reprint the report, but I have gotten the >impression it isnt going to happen. The new management does not think it is >a scientific enough study and presentation. We think that it is an >acceptably appropriate method to observe and describe diverse phenomena of >an agroecology strategy creating an increasingly complex ecosystem. > >If our career advancement depended on isolating variables and inventing >linear graphs to evaluate single factor interventions, we would never have >done or said anything about Naturfarm. If even the new management at >Naturfarm is uncomfortable publicizing what we did there and has some >apparent difficulty fully appreciating the nature and significance of the >knowledge gained from Everett's guidance and observations there during the >transition, then no surprise that there's nobody else wanting to try it. It >is pioneering work and it helps to have somebody involved with Everett's >experience and understanding of agroecology, but if growers are not willing >to install and work with beneficial insect refugia interplanting strategies, >then how are pest control specialists going to acquire knowledge of how they >work and how to manage them? > >Jan Dietrick > > >>>Comments: Authenticated sender is >>>From: "Steve Diver" >>>To: "Lon J. Rombough" >>>Date: Mon, 26 Jan 1998 16:02:29 +0000 >>>Subject: Re: Biobased Pest Management >>>Reply-to: steved@ncatark.uark.edu >>>CC: sanet-mg@shasta.ces.ncsu.edu >>>Sender: owner-sanet-mg@ces.ncsu.edu >>>Precedence: bulk >>> >>>One of the most impressive uses of insect vacumns for bio-based >>>pest control that I know about is the integration of insect >>>vacumns to collect beneficial insects from intentionally planted >>>strips of perennial legumes like alfalfa and clover in vegetable >>>fields that function as insect refugia, followed by augmentative release >>>of the biocontrol agents into adjoining fields of vegetable crops. >>> >>>This was done at NaturFarm in Lompoc, CA by the biocontrol >>>pioneer Everett Dietrick. His daughter Jan Dietrick presented this >>>field work at the 1995 Acres USA conference in St. Louis, and it is >>>briefly summarized in a 39-page report titled "Biological Control of >>>Insect Pests Using Pest Break Strips: A New Dimension to Integrated >>>Pest Management." The report was written by Everertt Dietrick, John >>>Phillips, and Joel Grossman, and is a publication of The NaturFarm >>>Conversion Project. >>> >>>At NaturFarm, they rely on the pest break strip--which are >>>planted at 350 foot intervals between fields of commercial organic >>>vegetables--as the primary means of insect control. Botanical >>>pesticides are not used on the farm. Instead, biological control through >>>farmscaping is the goal. >>> >>>Selective insect vacumning can take different approaches based on >>>the circumstance; i.e., (1) to collect beneficials and release them into >>>vegetable fields to outnumber crops pests, and (2) to collect all the >>>bugs in pest break strips or field borders...followed by sorting out the >>>bad bugs to reduce their populations numbers....followed by >>>re-releasing the beneficials back into the insect strips. >>> >>>Steve Diver >>> >>>> Question: Has anyone done anything in furthering devlopment of bug >>>> vacuuming systems? I know some are used in California berry fields, >>>> but it seems like there would be a BIG advantage to using them on many >>>> other crops. Stuff deleted..... >>>> -Lon Rombough >>> >>>-- >>>steved@ncatark.uark.edu >>> >>>To Unsubscribe: Email majordomo@ces.ncsu.edu with "unsubscribe sanet-mg". >>>To Subscribe to Digest: Email majordomo@ces.ncsu.edu with the command >>>"subscribe sanet-mg-digest". >>> >> >Sincerely, > >Jan Dietrick >General Manager >Rincon-Vitova Insectaries, Inc. >POB 1555 >Ventura, CA 93002 >805-643-5407 FAX 805-643-6267 >bugnet@west.net >AND >Executive Director >Dietrick Institute for Applied Insect Ecology >PO Box 2506 >Ventura, CA 93002 >805-643-3169 >Email: bugnet@west.net > -- steved@ncatark.uark.edu To Unsubscribe: Email majordomo@ces.ncsu.edu with "unsubscribe sanet-mg". To Subscribe to Digest: Email majordomo@ces.ncsu.edu with the command "subscribe sanet-mg-digest".