Pasture Management for Beneficial Insects

This presentation will teach participants about the habitat needs and management benefits of conserving insects like pollinators, dung beetles, and predators/parasitoids of pests in pasture and silvopasture systems. Discussion will cover the role of beneficial insects (pollinators, decomposers, and predators/parasitoids of pests) in livestock operations and the habitat/management practices that support them, as well as an introduction to tools and methods for monitoring and identifying signs of beneficial insects. We will also more broadly cover habitats and design considerations that support pollinators/other beneficial insects outside of areas livestock use, such as forests, forest edges, and vegetative buffers around ponds or rivers (really, any place where there is some flowering resource), so there will be something for everyone to take away.