Introduction
A biological pest control is the control of a pest by the introduction of a natural enemy or predator.
You are about to embark on a very interesting journey into the world of Biological Control! Biological control, or BioControl, is a way for people to protect their plants, animals, and structures from “bad” insect pests that want to eat them or use them for their own benefit.
These pests can be common in certain areas, arrive during certain seasons, or be imported accidentally from very, very, far away (even other countries!). Although biological control can be used to control many different kinds of pests (insects, weeds, and disease-causing organisms), we’ll focus on insects. BioControl uses “good” insects (also called Natural Enemies) to get rid of the “bad” pests, usually by eating them. In this webquest you will learn about some “good guys” and “bad guys”. By the end of the assignment you will understand which biological control agents can be used in different circumstances on various plants.
Task
You will visit a websites about biological controls. While looking through the site, you will:
1) gather information.
2) answer questions based on the information you have gathered.
3) apply that information to take care of some bad guys with good guys.
4) have fun wiping out the pesky critters that are messing up your growing space!
Process
1. Visit: http://www.biocontrol.entomology.cornell.edu/index.php
2. Click on the tab that says "Overview" --> "What is a biological control?"
3. Answer the following questions:
a. According to the website, what is biological control?
b. What biological controls do we use to get rid of weeds?
c. Ladybugs and lacewigs are called predators. Why?
d. What is a parasitoid? Give two examples.
e. What do pathogens like bacteria, fungi, and viruses do to plants?
f. Would it be safe to say that "all natural enemies of insects are beneficial to crop production"?
g. List the three types of biological controls.
h. Compare and contrast the conservation approach, the classical approach, and augmentation.
4. Click on the tab that says "Overview" --> "The need for biological control"
5. Answer the following questions:
a. Why not just use insecticides?
b. True or False...All insect pest have natural enemies.
c. Why don't we just use the biological control approach to take care of unwanted pest?
6. Click on the tab that says "Overview" --> "Biological control Success Stories"
7. Answer the following question:
a. Choose one of the success stories and explain what the problem was, what biological control was used, and discuss the result.
8. Click on the tab that says "Types of Natural Enemies"
9. Answer the following questions:
a. IN YOUR OWN WORDS, list three major desirable characteristics of parasitoids.
b. How do pathogens end up on plants?
c. IN YOUR OWN WORDS, list three major desirable characteristics of pathogens.
d. What are the arthropod predators of insects and mites?
e. What can be a drawback of a introducing a predator to your garden?
f. IN YOUR OWN WORDS, list three major desirable characteristics of arthropod predators.
g. What can be said about the relative effectiveness of using predators as a biological control?
h. What is a weed feeder?
i. How would you use a weed feeder in your garden?
j. IN YOUR OWN WORDS, list three major desirable characteristics of weed feeders.
10. Click on the tab "Resources" --> "Are you a student?"
11. There are three games to play listed on this page. Play each game.
Evaluation
To earn an "A" you must
1) ANSWER ALL QUESTIONS COMPLETELY AND CORRECTLY.
2) ANSWER IN COMPLETE SENTENCES.
3) TURN IN YOUR ANSWERS ON GOOGLE CLASSROOM.
Failing to meet the three requirements will drop your overall score. The number of points deducted will be based on the number of questions unaswered and the number of questions answered incorrectly (minus 1 point for each incorrect response and each unanswered question).
TOTAL ____/22
Conclusion
YOU MADE IT TO THE END!!!
- You should now understand the method of biological control in pest management.
- You should be able to discuss the three types of biological controls that exist.
- In addition to the above, the terms "good guys" and "bad guys", as they apply to insects and biological controls, should be familiar to you.
- You should know some beneficial characteristics of arthropods, parasitoids, pathogens, and weed eaters.
- Finally, you should be able to list at least two insects that are harmful to a specific plant, explain which biological control can be used to take care of the pest, and be able to give why that method is useful.
Credits
Shelton, Anthony. Biological Control: A Guide to Natural Enemies in North America.
http://www.biocontrol.entomology.cornell.edu/ accessed January 30, 2016.