Extension & Outreach

Otto Lugger initiated the Department's involvement with public education and outreach in 1888.

Philosophy

Insects are an important component of our world, filling valuable ecological roles, and interacting with humans in diverse ways. Some of these interactions pose health, ecological or economic threats to us and our manipulation of terrestrial and aquatic systems. The Department of Entomology addresses society's need for information and education about insects, their biology, impacts and management through its extension outreach programs. Integrated pest management (IPM) provides the foundation for these programs in which research-based knowledge is used to emphasize a preventative approach to pest management where pesticides, biological control and other control methods are carefully selected for maximum health, economic, and environmental benefits.

Objectives

1. Provide the public with timely research-based information and educational opportunities about insects, their biology, ecology and management.
   
   
2. Train extension staff, pest management professionals, volunteers and other end-users in integrated insect management methods and work through them to deliver current research information.
   
   
3. Promote the safe, effective, appropriate and legal uses of pest management tactics while emphasizing both positive and negative aspects of these tactics, so the public, pest management professionals, and policy-makers can make informed decisions on insect management.

Factors Shaping Entomology's Extension Program

A variety of internal and external factors have shaped the current direction and activities of Extension Entomology.

Faculty with extension responsibility all have appointments that are include research and some have three-way appointments that add classroom teaching as well.  Such split positions have the distinct advantage of providing a continuum from research to education, facilitating both the identification of research needs and the rapid dissemination of research results to clientele and students.

 The demographic shift from a predominantly rural to a predominantly urban population is increasing demands for information on landscape and structural pests while we continue to educate students on food and fiber production systems. This shift poses a challenge in terms of staffing and program delivery that is being addressed by partial or full positions related to landscape IPM, structural pest management, and urban outreach.

Both agricultural and urban clientele require "real-time" information on insect pests and their management. Shifting life styles, increasing diversity of clientele, emphasis on professional certification, convenient access to information, and the increasing use of the internet all necessitate a targeted delivery system. Our current extension efforts show creativity in addressing these changing needs by providing real-time needs via the internet, on-line newsletters, and digital imagery.  Recent web-based examples of real-time delivery of IPM information include: BugWeb (Ostlie); MN Vegetable IPM Newsletter (Hutchison); Aphid Alert Newsletter (Radcliffe, Ragsdale); Yard and Garden Line (Hahn); and Center for Urban Ecology and Sustainability (Krischik).

Environmental, personal, and food safety issues regarding pesticides and their alternatives and genetically modified organisms (GMO's) continue to evolve. Interest in pesticide and GMO risk/benefit evaluations remains high. Data are limited, and sociological and political aspects predominate. Check out the Minnesota Pesticide Impact Assessment Program  in Minnesota.

Efficient and effective use of limited resources is leading to increasing regional cooperation to produce publications and programs.  The Department has actively pursued appropriate regional opportunities including projects on corn,  soybean, potato, processing vegetable crops, urban and landscape IPM, and apiculture. 

Extension increasingly relies on outside grants and funding to conduct applied research and outreach programs.  In addition, a steady decline in state and federal support has resulted in the need for user-fees to support extension efforts.

OUTREACH PROGRAMS

| Field Crops | Vegetables | Apiculture |
| Urban | Federally-Mandated Programs | Delivery |

Field Crops

Minnesota agriculture is relatively diverse with production in corn, soybean, spring wheat, barley, alfalfa, sugarbeets, and sunflower ranking in the top 4 nationally. The primary target for extension efforts regarding field crop insect management are agricultural professionals. Farmers are reached through these agricultural professionals and, to a lesser degree, by direct contact through winter meetings. The specialization of agents, shift towards cluster-level meetings, and administration encouragement of county educator teaching has substantially reduced demand for extension specialists to speak at winter meetings. Declining county meetings have freed up time for development of educational materials and increased emphasis by extension entomologists on training agricultural professionals.

A few insects warrant routine treatment: Colorado potato beetle and potato leafhopper on potato, corn rootworm on continuous corn, European corn borer on sweet corn, and sugarbeet root maggot and seed-feeding insects on sunflower.  For these insects, educational activities encourage scouting and judicious insecticide use based on economic thresholds and discourage an "insurance" approach. Where possible, insecticide treatment schedules, reduced rates of application and biologically based insecticides are recommended for Colorado potato beetle, potato leafhopper, corn rootworm, and European corn borer. Resistance management remains a particular concern with Colorado potato beetle, corn rootworm, and European corn borer. An IPM approach with these insects reduces insecticide use. For example, on-farm, applied research with corn rootworm indicates up to a 56% reduction may be possible.  Reduced rates for potato leafhopper control using º the amount of product prevents secondary pests like green peach aphid from reaching damaging levels.

The opposite situation occurs with the European corn borer on field corn, potato leafhopper on alfalfa, and aphids on small grains. Economic damage by these pests can be hidden, unlike the highly visual damage caused by Colorado potato beetle defoliation that elicits more intensive management and insecticide use. Consequently, these three pests pose a particular challenge for educational efforts because farmers and even agricultural professionals seriously underrate their economic impact.  IPM adoption in these cases is likely to increase pesticide use. For example, insecticide use to protect alfalfa from yield and quality impacts by potato leafhopper could jump from less than 5% currently to over 70% of acreage treated statewide.

The majority of insects, however, have infrequent pest outbreaks driven by migration, weather, or disease. Informational needs for these pests follow a boom or bust cycle. In this situation, farmers may be fairly inexperienced while agricultural professionals are usually more familiar with the scouting techniques, management tactics and decisions. Extension entomologists provide advance warning of anticipated pest outbreaks, information on outbreak status and management solutions through the Minnesota Crop News, news media, electronic mail to county offices, and in-season meetings or field days.  Examples of pest outbreaks in the last 12 years include grasshoppers (1989-1990), alfalfa/clover leaf weevils (1989), European corn borer (1990, 1991, 1995, 1996), thistle caterpillar (1991), potato leafhopper (1991-1992, 1999), aphids on small grains (1991-1992), aphids on potato (1197-2000), sugarbeet root maggot (1991-1992), and alfalfa blotch leafminer (1997-1998). These outbreaks require intense effort when they occur. High demand for presentations at off-season (winter) meetings usually follows these outbreaks. Low interest is the rule during off-peak years. Extension entomologists emphasize a proactive educational approach that anticipates these pest outbreaks, rather than a reactive or post facto approach when interest is high.

Vegetables

The vegetable industry is quite diverse in Minnesota. At least four major clientele groups can be identified: processors (sweet corn, peas, snap beans, potatoes), fresh-market (all crops), seed producers for potatoes and a growing number of organic-certified fresh-market growers (albeit still on small percentage of acres). For each sector of the industry, we must tailor IPM information differently. The processing industry for sweet corn and peas, and the potato growers have been very involved in working with Drs. Bill Hutchison, Ted Radcliffe and Dave Ragsdale, in establishing applied research priorities and providing funds. Growers also provide space in production fields for small-plot insecticide/B.t. research and demonstrations for field days. The industry is interested in alternatives to conventional insecticide use but balances performance against the need to maintain quality and yields of high-value crops. In general the vegetable industry continues to be responsive cooperators in tackling IPM issues. To better serve the vegetable industry, the VegEdge homepage was developed in 1996 to provide more rapid delivery of pest outbreaks and IPM information. The Aphid-Alert newsletter has been published as a weekly newsletter mailed to all Minnesota and North Dakota seed potato growers during the summer.  It is also available in an e-mail version with several hundred subscribers and as a posting on the Internet. 

Apiculture

The honey, queen, and package honey bee industries in the United States are in a period of crisis due to problems created by recently introduced parasitic mites, Africanized honey bees, and competition from foreign honey producers. The research and extension efforts of Dr. Marla Spivak involve breeding honey bees for resistance against diseases and the most devastating mite pest, Varroa destructor.  In addition, alternative control measures of mites are being identified and tested while breeding for a gentle (non-Africanized) northern adapted line of honey bee that produces large quantities of honey, and overwinters well.  Continued outreach will be required as beekeepers seek to protect, maintain, and increase honey bee populations in the northern United States.

Apicultural extension programs have been eliminated in many Midwest universities due to severe budget constraints in the last decade. Multi-state research and extension positions will have to become more common in the future to promote specialized and technical areas, such as apiculture. Dr. M. Spivak has developed a regional extension program in Apiculture that includes Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, South Dakota, and North Dakota. The beekeepers in these states provide annual support to this regional program.

Urban

Yard and Garden Clinic (formerly Dial U Insect and Plant Information) This service is one of many programs within the Yard and Garden Line.  The Yard and Garden Clinic is available to the general public throughout the state. It provides diagnosis of insect and plant problems (including plant disease) as well as information concerning home gardening, landscaping, and pest management in the urban environment. The public is charged $5.00 for each call or sample.  The Yard and Garden Clinic also provides diagnosis and information to county extension staff and master gardeners free of charge. Pest control operators, arborists, nurserymen, and turf managers may also use this service. The Yard and Garden Clinic is staffed by Masters or Ph.D.-level extension specialists in the disciplines of entomology, plant pathology, and horticulture. The Yard and Garden Clinic  seasonally employs technicians trained in entomology, horticulture, and plant pathology.  Besides speaking with callers and examining samples, staff prepare short publications (Yard and Garden Briefs) available by mail or on the internet. The phone number for the Yard and Garden Line is 612-624-4771 for the local Twin Cities area, and toll free for callers outside the Twin Cities area at 1-888-624-4771.

Master Gardener Programs. New master gardeners are initially trained through core course programs. Once they graduate their education is continued through update sessions and diagnostic clinics, usually arranged on a county cluster basis. Master gardeners also have access to current information by direct contact with specialists, through the Yard and Garden Line News, through Info-U (a computerized information), and the Yard and Garden Line. Additionally, there are entomology programs for advanced master gardeners at the State Master Gardeners Conference and through other arranged programs. The Yard and Garden Line staff are heavily involved in the Master Gardener Program through training and information development.

Structural, Stored Commodity and Food Handling and Processing. Major conferences include the Minnesota Structural Pest Control Management Conference, Minnesota Food Processing  Pest Management  Conference, and the Minnesota Stored Grain Pest Management  Conference.  Dr. Colleen Cannon is providing leadership for these programs and is currently developing a program in applied research and extension that will address pest management issues of importance to Minnesota’s pest control and food production industries.  Issues under development include biorational control of carpenter ants and Indian meal moths, IPM in the organic food industry, and insect bait technology.  Jeff Hahn, Yard and Garden Line Supervisor, provides identification and informational help.  The most important structural insects are ants, especially carpenter ants, pantry pests, especially Indianmeal moths, sawtoothed grain beetles, flour beetles, accidental invaders, including millipedes, sowbugs, elm leaf beetles, strawberry root weevils, and boxelder bugs, cockroaches, especially german cockroaches and brown-banded cockroaches, and fleas.

Landscape, Turf & Nursery. Major conferences include the Shade Tree Short Course, Minnesota Nursery and Landscape Conference, and the Minnesota Arborist Association Annual Meeting. Important landscape insect pests include leafminers, especially birch leafminer, secondary borers, especially bronze birch borer, insect and mite galls, ash and honeylocust plant bugs, cankerworms, forest tent caterpillars, and other caterpillars, European pine sawflies, yellowheaded spruce sawflies, and other sawflies, elm leaf beetles and other beetles, aphids, lace bugs, and white grubs. Of particular importance for future programming will be issues concerning the Japanese beetle, and gypsy moth, pests recently introduced accidentally into Minnesota. Information is delivered to the public via the Yard and Garden Line and to the industry via  Dr. Vera Krischik.  Dr. Krischik has primary responsibility for landscape, nursery and turf extension programming. 

Floriculture. Major conferences include the Bedding Plant Conferences, and the Commercial Flower Growers Shortcourse. Important insect pests include sweet potato and greenhouse whitefly, western flower thrips, bulb and spider mites, and aphids. Integrating biological control into commercial greenhouse pest management programs is a major issue. The program includes applied research and outreach efforts under the direction of, Dr. Ascerno and the efforts of Michael McDonough, Research Fellow. There is a strong interdiscplinary focus that includes the Department of Horticultural Sciences and the Department of Plant Pathology.

Federally-Mandated Programs

The Entomology Department participates in 3 federally mandated programs: integrated pest management (IPM), pesticide survey and impact  (PSI), and pesticide applicator training (PAT).

Integrated Pest Management Program. The IPM Program was initiated in 1978 with a pilot scouting program that ultimately involved 213 farmers and 22,000 acres of 8 major crops. To avoid competition with the fledgling crop consulting industry, the scouting program was terminated in 1982. In the following years, the program has evolved to serve the educational needs of farmers and agricultural professionals. A strong linkage with the crop consulting industry has been developed.

The IPM program, coordinated by Dr. Ken Ostlie, provides inservice training for county extension educators specializing in pest management and environmental issues or in environmental horticulture (pre 1993) and in crop systems or horticulture (post 1993). The restructuring process has been an obstacle to IPM program development with some fragmentation of planning and reporting activities. With reorganization proceeding, we can now establish a stronger state/cluster/county planning and reporting process, and address training needs of the crop systems and horticulture specializations.

Pesticide Survey and Impact (PSI). The Minnesota Pesticide Impact Assessment Program began in 1976 as part of the National Pesticide Impact Assessment Program (NAPIAP). Although NAPIAP was discontinued in 2000, a new Minnesota effort (PSI) has been established using funding from the new Regional Pest Management Centers.  PSI  is presently administered by Dr. Bill Hutchison. The program's primary goal is to generate information on pesticide use in Minnesota agricultural and urban environments. In particular, the program generates information on the role, importance, and benefits of pesticides and their alternatives in Minnesota. This information is used in the re-registration process and provides insights into the economic impacts resulting from loss of individual pesticides or clusters of pesticides.

MN PSI has 5 main objectives:

1. Conduct pesticide use surveys.
2. Support research that evaluates the impacts of pesticides and their alternatives.
3. Provide education and information on pesticide toxicology and safety.
4. Serve as a reference center on pesticide registration, re-registration, and usage.
5. Determine how pesticide and environmental regulations affect growers.

Pesticide Applicator Training. Extension entomologists primarily participate in commercial pesticide applicator training, not private applicator training. Extension's role has shifted over the last few years from one of leading and coordinating this training towards one of greater industry leadership. For example, beginning in 1992, extension split IPM educational aspects from agricultural PAT into a completely new series of agricultural professional workshops. The intent was to devote commercial PAT training to regulatory topics. Extension entomologists provide expertise and training materials for a wide range of workshops offered for applicator certification.  For more information visit the PAT web site: http://www.extension.umn.edu/pesticides/

Delivery

Extension Entomology uses a variety of tools to deliver information and provide learning opportunities.

Short courses, conferences, workshops, tours and field days. Face-to-face meetings remain a major route for educating professional clientele. The opportunity to hear and interact with extension specialists, and experience hands-on learning situations, is a major drawing card for these events. Most are planned interactively with professional associations and serve a vital, continuing education role. This dimension of extension programming is growing as professional certifications, e.g., certified crop advisor, and regulatory educational requirements increase.

Publications. Publications also continue to be an important tool for communicating entomological information in both visual and textual modes. The Department currently lists about 50 publications on a wide variety of topics that are available through the Extension Distribution Center, the University of Minnesota Extension Service website, and the Department of Entomology homepage. Publications are reviewed periodically for volume of distribution and those with insufficient sales are eliminated.  In many cases, single copies of extension publications are available free of charge.  In other cases, there is a charge for the publication based on the cost of production. More and more of Entomology's publications are being posted on the world wide web.  A list of currently available publications and the means of accessing them can be found at the Extension Distribution Center Catalog page. Entomology also maintains a number of "in-house" publications, for example, Yard and Garden Briefs and Vegetable Pest Fact Sheets.  These “in-house” publications can be accessed through the entomology homepage.  Newsletters provide an avenue for timely distribution of information to targeted clientele: a route of particular value when dealing with pest outbreaks. Entomology contributes to the following newsletters: Yard and Garden News (yard, garden, and home entomology, horticulture and plant disease information, only available electronically);  (list all with links). The Aphid Alert newsletter is published weekly in the summer and distributed to all seed potato growers in the Red River Valley of the North, sent as an e-mail to over 200 subscribers and posted on the Internet at http://ipmworld.umn.edu/alert.htm. 

Computer software and Alternative delivery systems. Entomology provides the following software:  (list software, its use and how to obtain with links if available). Since 1996, several faculty have developed web sites for rapid delivery of  IPM information, and others are in the process of developing web sites for interactive instruction (e.g. Apiculture).  New modes of delivery have been explored increasingly by extension faculty. Dr. K. Ostlie developed a segment on crop consulting for a satellite teleconference on integrated crop management.  Jeff Hahn was involved in a satellite teleconference program on household insects and two ITV (interactive television) programs with Master Gardeners.