Conservation & Enhancement Biological Control

Conservation methods are usually suitable for control of pests in high-value crops that can withstand little damage (low economic injury level). 

• True

• False

If broad-spectrum pesticides are the principal method for control, natural enemies are usually disrupted too much to be effective. 

• True

• False

Building a mound row between fields of crops and establishing grasses is an example of:

• Refuges

• Cover crops

• crop residue

• physical environment

planting a species with flowers that may provide adult natural enemies with nectar and pollen is:

• crop management

• providing alternate food

• refuges

• cover crop

Strip harvesting (or cutting) to prevent pests from migrating to another high-value crop is considered:

• alternate food

• physical environment

• cover crop

• crop management

Answer explanation

You choose to strip cut to protect another crop (like the example of strip cutting alfalfa to prevent aphids from migrating to cotton). This is managing a crop and the production/harvesting of it.

Altering the temperature, water, and humidity to enhance a natural enemies habitat is considered:

• cover crop

• crop management

• physical environment

• providing alternate food

_________ interactions can include simply one predator eating another predator with an overall effect of increase in the prey population. 

An example of _______ interactions is two predators sharing the same prey species and one outcompeting the other.