Integrated Pest Management Projects

We are looking for two part time students 29 hours/week at $15.00/hour (11 weeks)!

There are currently two Integrated Pest Management projects being worked on by the University of Delaware Cooperative Extension across the state. Students will mainly work together across two focus areas:

Focus area 1: Native plants and the beneficial insects that are attracted by them. Job duties include, planting native plants, watering, weeding, spot herbicide treatments and working on interpretive signage. This student should have interests in horticulture, entomology, environmental science, or wildlife conservation. This is a great opportunity to learn more about pollinators, beneficial insects, and the native plants that support them. There is currently a plot being created in Lewis Park in Newark, a plot at the Milford Community Gardens in Kent County, and a plot will be designed somewhere in Sussex County. The student will need reliable transportation as work will be done across the state. For more information, contact: Blake Moore, Natural Resources Extension Agent, rbmoore@udel.edu

Focus area 2: This project will be building, supervising, maintaining, and implementing two turf demonstration plots to demonstrate to homeowners and Green Industry personnel Integrated Pest Management (IPM) techniques, assist with pest identification, as well as using them for pest surveillance. There will also be a component of turfgrass nutrient management BMP’s included in the work performed. Students for this project should have interests in turf, horticulture, nutrient management, and entomology. Job duties will include:

  • Mowing turfgrass plots with a ride-on “zero-turn” style mower
  • Cultivating soil in order to prepare the ground for turfgrass seed establishment
    • Tilling soil with walk-behind and tractor mounted equipment
    • Raking out rocks and other loose debris after cultivation
    • Leveling of the soil in order to fill in low areas and encourage natural surface drainage
  • Spot spraying weeds with a backpack sprayer
  • Applying pesticides to turfgrass areas
  • Fertilizing turfgrass areas with a rotary spreader
  • Watering, transplanting, and trimming greenhouse plants

For more information on focus area 2, please contact: John Emerson, Turf Nutrient Management Extension Agent, jremer@udel.edu

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