NNY Ag Development Program

Northern New York Agriculture

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Persistent Biocontrol Nematodes Instructional Manuals and Videos

How to Rear Your Own Nematodes On-Farm (waxworm cups method) Instructional Resources
Please reference the instructional manual and videos below on how to rear your own nematodes for application on your farm. Before you begin, you will need to look at the required materials list and rearing timeline  in the manual).

VIDEO SERIES:
How To Rear and Apply Your Own Biocontrol Nematodes
produced by Cornell Cooperative Extension and the Shields Lab, 2012
Note: these videos highlight the initially developed waxworm cup method for rearing the persistent biocontrol nematodes with a variety of field applications. It is advisable to contact your Cornell Cooperative Extension office for assistance and instruction before beginning. For those who do not wish to raise their own nematodes, an NNYADP persistent biocontrol nematode project-trained supplier and custom applicator is based in northern NY. Ask your Cornell Cooperative Extension for additional assistance.

Life Cycle of Entomopathogenic Nematodes: How this biocontrol works in the soil (1:20 minutes)

 

Overview of How to Rear and Apply Your Own Entomopathogenic Nematodes: waxworm cup method (2:14 minutes)

 

Calculating Number of Nematodes Needed for Preparation for Your Field Release (4:38 minutes)

 

Calculating Cups/Field, Solution Dilution, Coverage Rate… (3:18 minutes)

 

Timeline, Materials & Supplies Needed for Rearing Nematodes & Application(11:49 minutes)

 

Where to Find Supplies for On-Farm Cup Method Rearing of Biocontrol Nematodes and Preparation for Field Application (4:29 minutes)

 

ASB Publications & Book Chapters: partial list of work published through 2016

Biological Control of Alfalfa Snout Beetle with Persistent Entomopathogenic Nematodes: Expanding a Single Farm’s Success to an Area-Wide Biological Control Program (PDF)

Testa, A. M. and J. Shields. 2016.  Low Labor “In Vivo” Mass Rearing Method for Entomopathogenic Nematodes.  Biocontrol. (submitted)

Taylor, R.A.J., and J. Shields. 2016.  Revisiting Potato Leafhopper, Empoasca fabae, Migration:  Implications in a world where invasive insects are all too common.  American Entomologist.  (submitted)

Smith, E. A., J. Shields and B. A. Nault. 2016.  Impact of adjacent habitat on colonization of onion fields by adult onion thrips (Thysanoptera:  Thripidae).  J. Econ Entomol.  (submitted)

Smith, E. A., J. Shields and B. A. Nault. 2016.  Impact of abiotic factors on onion thrips (Thysanoptera:  Thripidae) dispersal activity in an onion ecosystem.  Environ. Entomol.  (submitted)

Smith, E. A., M. Fuchs, J. Shields and B. A. Nault. 2015.  Long-distance dispersal potential for onion thrips (Thysanoptera:  Thripidae) and Iris yellow spot virus (Bunyaviridae: Tospovirus) in an onion ecosystem.  Environ. Entomol. 44:  921-930.

Keller, M. D. and J. Shields. 2014.  Aerobiological sampling efficiency of media-containing Petri plates for use in lower atmosphere spore collection.  Aerobiologia 30 :  103-109 (Published online 6/18/13)

Keller, M. D. G. C. Bergstrom and J. Shields. 2014.  The Aerobiology of Fusarium graminearum.  Aerobiologia. 30: 123-136.   (Published online 11/5/13)

Goulet, E. J., A. Ditommaso and J. Shields. 2014.  Comparative study of Mecinus janthinus (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) attack and simulated mowing for control of Linaria dalmatica (Scrophulariaceae).  The Great Lakes Entomologist 47:  12-22.

Nansen, C, B. Stokes, J. James, P. Porter, J. Shields, T.Wheeler, W. G. Meikle. 2013.  Biological control agent of larger black flour beetles – a nuisance pest developing in cotton gin trash piles.  J. Econ. Entomol.  106: 648-652.

Petzold-Maxwell, J. L. , A. P. Alves , R. E. Estes , E. Gray, L. J. Meinke, E. J. Shields, S. D. Thompson, N. A. Tinsley and A. J. Gassmann. 2013.  Applying an integrated refuge to manage western corn rootworm (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae):  Effects on survival, fitness and selection pressure. J. Econ. Entomol. 106: 2195-2207.

Goulet, E. J., J. Thaler, A. Ditammaso, M. Schwarzlander, J. Shields. 2013.  Impact of Mecinus janthinus (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) on the growth and reproduction of Linaria dalmatica (Scrophulariaceae).  The Great Lakes Entomologist 46:  90-98.

Neumann, G. & J. Shields. 2011.  Long term field persistence and coexistence in three entomopathogenic nematodes, Steinernema carpocapsae Weiser, S. feltiae Filipjev, and Heterorhabditis bacteriophora Poinar.  The Great Lakes Entomologist 44:  42-52.

Shields, E. J., and A. M. Testa.   Effects of Low Temperature Storage on Fecundity and Adult Mortality for the Alfalfa Snout Beetle, Otiorhynchus ligustici (L.) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae).  The Great Lakes Entomologist 44: 21-31.

Aylor, D. E, D G. Schmale III, J. Shields, M. Newcomb and C. J. Nappo. 2011.  Tracking the potato late blight pathogen in the atmosphere using unmanned aerial vehicles and Lagrangian modeling.  Agric. For. Meteorol.  151: 251-260.

Sappington, T. W., K. R. Ostlie, C. DiFonzo, B. E. Hibbard, C. H. Krupke, P. Porter, S. Pueppke, E. J. Shields and J. J. Tollefson.  2010. Conducting public-sector research on commercialized transgenic seed: In search of a paradigm that works.  GM Crops 1 (2):  Online open access article (http://www.landesbioscience.com/journals/gmcrops/article/10833)

Shields, E. J., A. Testa, G. Neumann, K. L. Flanders and P. C. Schroeder. 2009. Biological Control of Alfalfa Snout Beetle with a multi-species application of locally-adapted persistent entomopathogenic nematodes: The first success. American Entomologist 55: 250-257.

VanGessel. 2009. Conyza canadensis seed ascent in the lower atmosphere. Agricultural and Forest Meteorology 149: 526-534.

Neumann, G. & E. J. Shields. 2008. Multiple-species natural enemy approach for the biological control of the alfalfa snout beetle, Otiorhynchus ligustici L. (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), using entomopathogenic nematodes. J. Econ Entomol 101: 1533-1539.

Shields, E. J., G. Neumann and A. Testa. 2007 (published in 2008). Alfalfa Snout Beetle, Otiorhynchus ligustici L. (Coleoptera: Curculionidae): Methods for egg collection and larval rearing. The Great Lakes Entomologist 40: 62-67.

Neumann, G. & E. J. Shields. 2006. Interspecific interactions among three entomopathogenic nematodes, Steinernema carpocapsae, S. feltiae, and Heterorhabditis bacteriophora, with different foraging strategies for hosts in multi-piece sand columns. Environ. Entomol. 35: 1578-1583.

Book Chapters:

  • Hower, A. A. and J. Shields. Weevils and Root Borers.  In: Lamp, W.O., R. Berberet, Higley, and C. Baird (eds.). 2007. Handbook of Forage and Rangeland Insects.  Entomological Society of America, Lanham, MD.
  • Shields, E. J. and A. A. Hower.  Rootweevils of Alfalfa.  In:  Lamp, W.O  (ed).  2012  Alfalfa Compendium. American Phytopathological Society.
  • Shields, E. J. Ch 6 – Utilizing persistent EPNs in a conservation or a more classical biological control approach.  In: R. Campos-Herrera (ed).  Nematode pathogenesis of insects and other pests – ecology and applied technologies for sustainable plant and crop protection, Series: Sustainability in Plant and Crop Protection, Vol. 1 (R. Campos-Herrera ed).  Springer. 2015. Pp. 165-184.
  • Shields, E. J. and A. M. Testa.  Ch 11 – New York Case Study:  Biological Control of ligustici with native persistent EPNs using a more classical approach.  In: R. Campos-Herrera (ed).  Nematode pathogenesis of insects and other pests – ecology and applied technologies for sustainable plant and crop protection, Series: Sustainability in Plant and Crop Protection, Vol. 1 (R. Campos-Herrera ed).  Springer. 2015. pp 285-307.

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4/18: NNYADP Tile Drainage Research at Water Quality Conference in NY’s Finger Lakes Region

Woman standing inside a tile drainage research monitoring pipe on a farm.
Miner Institute Research Scientist Laura Klaiber checks the on-farm tile drainage monitoring equipment for her NNYADP research project. Photo: Miner Institute

Chazy, New York. The farmer-driven Northern New York Agricultural Development Program (NNYADP) has announced that on April 18 Miner Institute Research Scientist Laura Klaiber will present the latest results-to-date of her agricultural tile drainage research as part of The Tile Drainage on Farms: Managing for Water Quality and Soil Health workshop. The workshop will be hosted virtually from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. via Zoom and with additional limited in-person attendance available by reservation at the Cayuga County Soil and Water Conservation District building in Auburn, New York. For more information, visit cals.cornell.edu/tile-drainage-on-farms or contact PRO-DAIRY at 607-255-4478.

With grants from the NNYADP, Klaiber has been conducting research to build a foundational understanding of how agricultural tiling impacts the complex movement of water and nutrients into, across, and through soil.

Photo: Leanna Thalman/Miner Institute

Klaiber’s research began in the Lake Champlain watershed on land near Chazy provided by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation in 2012; it is now conducted on a working dairy and crop farm in both tile-drained and non-tile drained fields equipped with edge-of-field monitoring technology.

“The farmers who guide the Northern New York Agricultural Development Program prioritized development of a real-world, data-based foundation for creating and refining best management conservation and agricultural guidelines that can work in tandem to protect both water quality and crop production success,” said NNYADP Co-Chair Jon Greenwood of Canton, New York.

Klaiber has presented her progressive project results and detailed data at conferences of farmers, soil and crop scientists, agronomists, soil health specialists, and natural resource conservation and management professionals. This will be her second presentation in New York’s Finger Lakes region. Her first was a virtual presentation for the 2021 Bob Brower Owasco Lake Scientific Symposium.

Reports of the year-to-year research quantifying the long-term agronomic and environmental aspects of tile drainage, including edge-of-field trial data on surface and subsurface water and nutrient movement, are posted on the NNYADP website at https://www.nnyagdev.org.

Funding for the Northern New York Agricultural Development Program is supported by the New York State Legislature through the New York State Assembly and administered by the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets.

Sponsors of the 2023 Tile Drainage on Farms: Managing for Water Quality and Soil Health Conference include Partners for Healthy Watersheds, American Dairy Association North East, Cayuga County Farm Bureau, Cayuga County Soil and Water Conservation District, Cornell Cooperative Extension of Cayuga County, North East Dairy Producers Association, New York Animal Agriculture Coalition, and Cornell CALS PRO-DAIRY.

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3/29, North Lawrence: Economics of Co-Digestion of Dairy Manure & Food Waste

This flow diagram illustrates one scenario developed by the Cornell PRO-DAIRY Dairy Environment Systems program for its NNYADP-funded case study of the economic feasibility of co-digestion of dairy manure and food waste on a northern New York dairy farm. RNG is renewable natural gas. Graphic courtesy of Cornell PRO-DAIRY.

Learn the Economics of Co-Digestion of Dairy Manure and Food Waste: March 29 in North Lawrence

North Lawrence, New York; March 21, 2023. The farmer-driven Northern New York Agricultural Development Program (NNYADP) has announced the opportunity to learn about the economic feasibility of the co-digestion of dairy manure and food waste. The free program, hosted by the Cornell Cooperative Extension (CCE) North Country Regional Ag Team, will be held on Wednesday, March 29, 2023, from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Stauffer Farms in North Lawrence, New York. Lunch will be included.

The program will feature speakers from the Cornell PRO-DAIRY program who conducted a case study project funded by the NNYADP. Agricultural Sustainability and Energy Engineer Lauren Ray, who led the project with Agricultural Engineer Peter Wright, will be joined by Dairy Environmental Specialist Angela George to present information on food waste sources and tipping fees, digested effluent storage and nutrient management planning, and biogas generation and energy use options.

The project report, “Economic Feasibility Case Study of Co-Digestion of Manure and Food Waste on a Northern New York Dairy Farm,” prepared by Ray, Wright, and George with two on-farm case studies can be viewed on the NNYADP website under the Research: Dairy tab.

Dr. Stefan J. Grimberg with Clarkson University’s Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and director of the Center of Excellence in Healthy Water Solutions, and CCE St. Lawrence County Natural Resources and Sustainable Energy Educator Nick Hamilton-Honey served as project collaborators.

Funding for the Northern New York Agricultural Development Program is supported by the New York State Legislature through the New York Assembly and administered by the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets.

Stauffer Farms is located at 925 County Road 54 in North Lawrence. For more information, contact Lindsay Ferlito at 607-592-0290.

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Feb 22-23: NNYADP Research Updates at Crop Congresses

Prior to an application of biocontrol nematodes four years ago, this alfalfa field in North Bangor, New York, was only able to grow grass hay. Photo: Mary DeBeer

The February 2023 Crop Congresses to be held February 21 from 10:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at the Cornell Cooperative Extension office in Lowville, New York, and February 22 from 10:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at Miner Institute in Chazy, New York, will include updates on several Northern New York Agricultural Development Program (NNYADP) research projects. Both programs include lunch; register with 315-778-3929, tlm92@cornell.edu.

Agricultural entrepreneur Mary DeBeer will present information on the use of native New York nematodes as a biocontrol for farm pest management – a protocol built by long-term support from the farmer-driven NNYADP.

NNY drainage research on-farm, edge-of-field trial site. Photo: Miner Institute

Cornell University Cooperative Extension Field Crops Specialist Michael Hunter will present the results of NNYADP-funded soybean herbicide trials, and a field crop weed control update, at both programs. The February 22nd Crop Congress also includes an update on NNYADP-funded on-farm agricultural tile drainage research by Miner Institute Research Scientist Laura Klaiber.

Other sessions at both locations include how to maximize on-farm use efficiency for high-price fertilizers by Cornell University Cooperative Extension Crops and Soils Specialist Kitty O’Neil, and an overview of seed corn maggot research by Ken Wise of the New York State Integrated Pest Management program. The program at Miner Institute also includes a presentation on the results of Miner Institute corn biologicals testing during the 2022 growing season by Miner Institute Forage Agronomist Allen Wilder.

MORE INFO:

Biocontrol nematodes raised by agricultural services entrepreneur Mary DeBeer are applied to an alfalfa field in Potsdam, New York. Photo courtesy of DeBeer Seed and Spraying

DeBeer established DeBeer AgriService and her own biocontrol nematode rearing laboratory in 2016 at her family farm and spraying service in Moira, New York. DeBeer’s enterprise was sparked by research funded by the farmer-driven Northern New York Agricultural Development Program (NNYADP) aimed at developing a solution for an invasive pest that was destroying alfalfa crops fed to dairy cows and other livestock. DeBeer learned how to rear and apply the biocontrol nematodes with guidance from entomologist Dr. Elson Shields and research support specialist Antonio Testa, who pioneered the science and developed the protocol for using persistent biocontrol nematodes as a means for managing alfalfa snout beetle, corn rootworm, and a complex of berry weevils.

Funding for the Northern New York Agricultural Development Program is supported by the New York State Legislature through the New York State Assembly and is administered by the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets.

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Jan 9 High Tunnel Winters Greens Webinar: NNYADP Research Update

High tunnel filled with winter green crops at Willsboro Research Farm
This high tunnel at Willsboro Research Farm hosts crop trials year’round. Photo: Michael H. Davis

Plattsburgh, NY; December 20, 2022. With increasing consumer interest in local foods, growers in northern climates want to learn how to extend their sales opportunities through high tunnel production of greens in the winter season. Winter greens marketing tips developed from high tunnel research trials funded by the farmer-driven Northern New York Agricultural Development Program (NNYADP) will be provided in a January 9, 2023 High Tunnel Winter Greens webinar. Speakers for the 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. webinar will also address pest and disease management for winter greens production. Pre-registration is required; for details and cost, see https://enych.cce.cornell.edu/events.php, or call 518-569-3073. The webinar is organized by the Eastern New York Commercial Horticulture Program; DEC credits are available.

As part of the January 9 webinar, Lindsey Pashow, a regional agricultural business specialist with Cornell Cooperative Extension (CCE) Harvest New York, will present findings from her NNYADP-funded project exploring winter greens production and marketing potential for northern New York growers. Her discussion will include packaging, pricing, and marketing of winter greens.

Grower Lissa Goldstein of Wild Work Farm, located in Keene Valley in northern New York, will share her experiences with managing food safety, washing, and efficiently packing winter greens.

Webinar organizer and CCE Horticultural Specialist Elisabeth Hodgdon, Ph.D., will cover a broad range of food safety considerations for leaf greens growers.

Additional speakers include Carol Glenister, with IPM Labs, presenting information on the biological control of aphids on winter greens in high tunnels, and Cornell Professor Margaret McGrath, Ph.D., with the Long Island Horticultural Research and Extension Center, sharing knowledge on managing disease in high tunnel-grown winter greens.

Collaborators with the NNYADP-funded winter greens production and marketing project include northern New York-based growers currently growing winter greens; Cornell Vegetable Specialist Judson Reid; and Willsboro Research Farm Manager Michael Davis, Ph.D. A full project results report and related podcasts developed by Hodgdon, Reid, and Pashow will be available in 2023 and posted at www.nnyagdev.org.

Funding for the Northern New York Agricultural Development Program is supported by the New York State Legislature and administered by the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets.