On Friday, March 9, Dr. Mike Raupp will give a talk about “The influence of Native and Exotic Plants on Insect Communities.” Dr. Raupp will focus on how we can create sustainable managed environments. In addition to talking about the influence of native and non-native plants on insect communities, Dr. Raupp will talk about invasive species such as emerald ash borer and the latest threat, the spotted lantern fly. Spotted Lantern Fly is a pretty, but very destructive insect which has become rampant in Southern Pennsylvania. Experts fear it will invade Maryland during the upcoming growing season
Mike Raupp is a professor of Entomology and an Extension Specialist. He has earned the nickname “The Bug Guy” from students and fans of his blog, BugoftheWeek.com, where he reports on all things bug and insect related. He frequently appears as an expert on Good Morning America, NPR and other news outlets. He has also appeared on BBC, CNN, National Geographic’s Explorer, The Dr. Oz Show, Tyra Banks and The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.
Dr. Raupp is an expert in Integrated Pest Management (IPM). IPM focuses on an environmentally sensitive approach to prevent insect pests and plant diseases. IPM programs try to manage pest damage with the least possible hazard to people, property and the environment. Therefore, IPM is a great practice for the home gardener. The idea is to monitor the landscape for any potential pests and determine when these pest may start to create a problem, i.e. a few stinkbugs won’t do a lot of damage, a few hundred will. The first course of action is to try to prevent the establishment of the pest by altering their habitat or disturbing their life cycle. The use of chemical is seen as a very last resort. And even then, IPM programs recommend using the least toxic chemicals.
The program will be held at 10:00am at the Kent County Public Library, 408 High Street, Chestertown, MD 21620. This event is free of charge. For more information, please contact Sabine Harvey, 410-778-1661 or sharvey1@umd.edu
The University of Maryland, College of Agriculture and Natural Resources programs are open to all and will not discriminate against anyone because of race, age, sex, color, sexual orientation, physical or mental disability, religion, ancestry, or national origin, marital status, genetic information, or political affiliation, or gender identity and expression.
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