LN  215 Pest Management
Sample syllabus submitted by Professor Gill, Fall 2005

II.         General Course Information

Course title: Pest Management - LN 215

Credit hours: 3 credit

Prerequisites: Must be taken with CRN 34703, includes Saturday field trips.

Summary of topics covered in class:

How to identify insects, mites and other arthropods

Classification system for arthropods that damage landscape and nursery plants

Identification of pests by plant damage types

Beneficial organisms in nursery, landscapes and greenhouses

Using degree-day and phenological plant develop to predict pest activity

Overview of Pest Management.

How to design and implement an IPM program

Understanding how to use pesticides, microbial-pesticides, entomopathogenic fungi and nematodes.

Pesticide usage laws federal, state and local laws and how to comply

Using pest resistant plant material

Specific insect and mite groups - biology, lifecycle, biological control and chemical control:

Aphids

Beetles

Caterpillars and moths and sawflies

Flies and Gnats

Gall forming insects

True bugs (Hemiptera)

Leafminers

Mites

Scale Insects

Thrips

Whiteflies

Slugs and Snails

There are 2- 4 Saturday field trips to nurseries and landscape sites. 

Class format: lectures and hands on activities involving identification of insects and mites. 

Individual project to present on major insects or design of an IPM program for one of the following: a residential, commercial landscape, a nursery, greenhouse operation. The project is presented on scheduled days during the course. 

III.               Specific Outcomes 

Students will be able to describe and design an integrated pest management program. Recognition and methods of preserving and augmenting of the major beneficial organisms in landscapes and nurseries will be covered.  An understanding of how to group insects fittest by plant damage then by major order and genus will be learned. Students will learn how to select a low risk pesticide, microbial pesticide, broad spectrum and selective pesticides for specific pest control. A workable understanding of the laws and regulations as they apply to pest control is imparted. Students will be able to develop an IPM approach to dealing with pests in herbaceous plants and woody plants in landscapes, nurseries, and greenhouse settings. Student will be able to select plant material that has natural resistance to insect injury. Students will be able to recognize major plant damaging mites and their plant injury symptoms. Student will learn of how to apply systemic insecticides through trunk injection, soil injection and soil drenching. Students will be able to evaluate the efficacy of low-volume and high volume sprayers for applying pesticides. Use of World Wide Web to search for information on major plant pests will be learned during the semester. 

IV.              Texts [and Supplies]

Textbook for course: Pests and Diseases of herbaceous Perennials – the Biological Approach by Gill, Clement, and Dutky. Ball Publishing Company.

And Gardens Insects by Whitney Cranshaw (2003) Princeton Press

V.        Grading

A.        Requirements

Students must take all tests and complete the individual project to receive a grade in Pest Management. Attendance at Saturday field trips is required. If student cannot attend field trip then they can complete a separate project.

B.        Course Grade

Grades are based on two essay exams and completion of a project on an insect, mite or IPM concept.

C.                 Standards

A = 90 -100

B= 80 -89

C= 70 -79

D= 60 -69

D.                 Make-up Policy

Students must let the professor know if they will not be able to attend field trips or not take Exam at least 1 class before the upcoming event.

Sickness as a reason for not taking an exam involves calling the professor at least 4 hours before the exam.

E.                  Late Policy

Must notify professor 7 days before a project is due if you will be late in turning in the project.

F.         Audit Policy

            Notify professor if you are taking class for audit.

VI.       Classroom Policies

A.                 Attendance [and Withdrawal from Class]

Attendance is expected for each of the classes and field trips.

            B.         Academic Honesty

Students cheating on exams will receive a failing grade for the exam.

C.        Classroom Conduct

Use of cell phone during lectures is not allowed. Use of portable recording devices is not allowed in class unless students receive approval from the professor

D.        Support Services

:

This section tells the student about tutorial centers, computer labs, and other resources available on campus.  Additionally, Disability Support Services recommends the following language:  “A student who may need an accommodation due to a disability should make an appointment to see me during my office hours.  A letter from Disability Support Services (DSS) authorizing your accommodations will be needed.  The DSS office is located in [room number] and may be called on [telephone numbers, including TDD number].”

E.         Cancellation of Classes

If a class is cancelled due to weather the class closure will be announced on local radio stations such as WMAL.

VII.      Another Section

The professor is available to help students outside of class time but must call to set-up an appointment time. Questions are encouraged in this class. Creative ideas are also encouraged.

.

VIII.     Course Schedule

First Class: August 31, 2005

Introduction to Pest Management

Introduction to Insect Development and Classification

Insect Management

Entomological terms

Equipment used in diagnosis of plant problems.

(folder 1 and 2 and folder 2005 First lecture folder)

Computer lab: World Wide Web to search for IPM sites.

Video tape on insects

September 7, 2005

Diagnosis of plant problems that pre-dispose plant to insect and mite damage

Degree Days and Plant phenological information to predict insect activity

Walk around campus and look at diagnosing plant problems in the field.

Aphids - biology, identification features, and control options (Folder 3)

Ticks, Diseases and IPM

Mosquitoes

September 10 2005

Saturday field trip. Acorn Nursery, Gaithersburg, MD. Located on Griffith Road just off Rt. 650 (New Hampshire Ave. 8:00 –10:00 a.m.)

September 14, 2004

Quest lecturer: Steve Sullivan, Brickman Company

Aphids continued

Insects that suck

Pesticides (Pesticide folder)

Pesticide regulations

Basics of low-risk pesticides

Microbial insecticides

Entomopathogenic fungi and nematodes used to control insects

September 21, 2005

6:00 – meet at class

6:30 – 7:30 Site visit at Germantown – Airport Road – Bob Dahl – Environmental Concerns Company.

Cool facts about insects (Lecture folder 4)

Biological control (Biological control folder)

Beetles ( Beetle )

September  24 - Saturday field trip to look at pest problems: Brookside, Wheaton, MD. Located on Glenallen Ave just off Randolph Road in Wheaton Maryland 8:00 –10:00.

September 28, 2005

Quest lecturer:

Class 6:00 – 8:00

Guest lecturer: Deborah Smith-Fiola, Independent IPM consultant and former Rutger’s University Cooperative Extension faculty member

Diagnosing Plant Problems

Using pest resistant plant material

October 5, 2005

First Exam

October 12, 2005

Lecturer: Steve Sullivan

Class presentations by students:

Lecture:                                                         

Caterpillars (Folder)

Student presentations: Locust leafminer, mimosa webworm, white pine weevil, cicada killer wasp

October 19, 2005

Quest lecturer: John Speaker, Speaker’s Garden professional IPM scout

Lacebugs (folder  )

Spittlebugs

Pests of Boxwoods

Class presentations by students

Tree hopper – pick one or two species

Periodical cicada

Two-lined chestnut borer

White pine aphid                                                             

October 26, 2005 Lecture

Problems with Pines (Pine Problems folder)

Lecture

Scale and mealybug Insects – biology and control options (Folder 8)

Class presentations by students

Wooly apple aphid

Elm leaf beetle

Arborvitae leafminer

November 2, 2005

Scale – part II

Lecture

Spider mites – part I

 (Folder )

Class presentations by students

Honey locust plant bug and leafhopper

Fourlined plant bug

November 9, 2005

Spider mites – part II

Class presentations by students

European pine shoot moth

Fletcher scale

November 16, 2004

Second exam

Thanksgiving break Nov. 24 -26

November 30,  2005

Deer control

Thrips of outdoor plants and greenhouses. Whiteflies of greenhouse and outdoor woody plants - biology, identification features, and control options

Class presentations by students:

Rhododendron borer

Ash plant bug

Eastern spruce gall adelgid

December 7, 2005 .

Clearwing moth borers - Dogwood borer, banded ash clearwing borers, and peach tree borers. (Borer folder)

Longhorned beetle borers - biology, identification features, and control options

December 14, 2004 .

 Final Exam

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