Cover photos (clockwise from top):
Mixed annual clovers in a Chico, Calif., almond orchard help invigorate the crop’s ability to withstand pests while attracting beneficial insects. Robert L. Bugg, UC-Davis.
Sevenspotted lady beetle. Russ Ottens, Univ. of GA.
ARS entomologist Marina Castelo Branco collects plant samples for a pollen library that documents plants that attract insect pests. Scott Bauer, USDA-ARS.
Syrphid fly. Vincent J Hickey, M.D.
Back cover: Predatory stink bug nymph on eggplant. Debbie Roos, North Carolina
Cooperative Extension
Graphic design and layout: Andrea Gray
Project manager and editor: Andy Clark
This book was published by the Sustainable Agriculture Network (SAN) under cooperative agreements with the Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service, USDA, the University of Maryland and the University of Vermont.
Every effort has been made to make this book as accurate as possible and to educate the
reader. This text is only a guide, however, and should be used in conjunction with other information sources on pest management. No single pest management strategy will be appropriate and effective for all conditions. The editor/authors and publisher disclaim any liability, loss or risk, personal or otherwise, which is incurred as a consequence, directly or indirectly, of the use and application of any of the contents of this book.
SARE works to increase knowledge about — and help farmers and ranchers adopt — practices that are profitable, environmentally sound and good for communities. For more information about SARE grant opportunities and informational resources, go to www.sare.org. SAN is the national outreach arm of SARE. For more information, contact:
Sustainable Agriculture Network
10300 Baltimore Ave.
Bldg. 046 BARC-WEST
Beltsville, MD 20705-2350
(301) 504-5236; (301) 504-5207 (fax)
san_assoc@sare.org
To order copies of this book ($15.95 plus $5.95 s/h), contact (301) 374-9696, sanpubs@sare.org., or order online at www.sare.org.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Altieri, Miguel A.
Manage insects on your farm : a guide to ecological strategies / by
Miguel A. Altieri and Clara I. Nicholls with Marlene Fritz.
p. cm. -- (Sustainable Agriculture Network handbook series ; bk.
7)
Includes index.
ISBN 1-888626-10-0
1. Agricultural pests--Biological control. 2. Insects as biological
pest control agents. 3. Agricultural ecology. 4. Ecological
engineering. I. Nicholls, Clara I. II. Fritz, Marlene, 1950- III.
Title. IV. Series.
SB975A48 2005
632’.96--dc22
2005013726