More than 120 volunteers from 34 counties across Illinois participated in a 1996 extension Integrated Pest Management program to monitor the activities of black cutworms. Early warnings helped corn growers reduce insecticide use on 7.2 million acres. The right mites. The beneficial mites also show promise for spider mite control on shade trees, ornamentals, strawberries and other crops. This protects groundwater from contamination and helps cut costs and maintain yields.
Breeding is good.
Two strains of tomatoes recently released by Cornell plant breeders offer high resistance to fungal pests that cause serious losses for home gardeners and commercial growers. Good-bye white fly. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, the ash whitefly became so prevalent in Southern California that people cancelled backyard barbecues because of swarming clouds of the insects. The insects' affinity for fruit trees created a potential agricultural disaster. It reduced whitefly population densities 10,000-fold in the first two years.