Hi folk,

During the summer of 2011, Julia Seidenstein ’15 was a Mellon Scholar working at the Lafayette Community Garden and Student Farm.  She focused on testing several pest control methodologies, many of them in Community Garden plots marked out with small flags.

Abstract: During the summer of 2010, much of the Lafayette College Garden had pest problems. Conventional farming uses pesticides and insecticides that kill the pests, and can also kill beneficial bugs and leave chemical residue on food and in the soil. This leads to possible health problems and pollution of water by run-off from farms. Organic pest control methodologies are different than those of conventional farming. During the growing season of 2011, organic pest control methods were implemented. Many of these methods showed positive results in reducing the amount of damage the pests caused. The results from the test plots and student garden of the 2011 summer growing season are to be discussed.

Here is her Bug Encyclopedia and here is her Implemented Organic Methods that she tried.

Click on Julia's research poster for a larger view.