TIME: 2:00-5:00 P.M. Organic Fruit Tasting at 5:00
TO REGISTER and get directions, CONTACT: Gwendolyn Ellen, 541-737-6272, gwendolyn@science.oregonstate.edu

Ever wonder what a beneficial mite looks like? Or why the flower bed next to the house is full of beneficial insects (at least you think they are beneficial insects) while the pear tree you planted two years ago is covered in thrips? The Farmscaping for Beneficials Project of the Integrated Plant Protection Center (IPPC) at Oregon State University (OSU), and the farmers of Columbia Blossom Orchards and Clastic Fruit invite local farmers to take a break with us for an afternoon of intrigue and discovery with native bees, and beneficial predators and parasitoids, Tuesday, July 29th from 2-5 at Columbia Blossom Orchards..

The walk will feature Columbia Blossom Orchards (CBO), a 32 acre diverse orchard of certified organic stone fruits such as, cherries, peaches, plums, apricots, nectarines and grapes. Jim Reed has been producing certified organic fruit at CBO for over 13 years. Brian McCormack, has certified 38A of his grapes pears and cherries. Both orchards employ insectary plantings, hedgerows, flowering cover crops to encourage beneficial insects to their orchards. Matthew Shepherd of the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation will be teaching us all about native pollinators in the orchard and Munk Bergin of Pest Management Systems, a Mosier consultant who specializes in biological pest management in orchards and stored products will answer any questions we may have on other orchard biological pest management techniques.

At the walk we will be taking a detailed, hands-on, look into the identification, biology, and ecology, of native bees, predators and parasitoids and the on-farm habitat that supports them. You will leave with a heightened appreciation for the natural biodiversity that already exists at Columbia Blossom Orchard and the opportunities that exist to enhance habitats for beneficial organisms on your own farm. Don’t miss this unique opportunity to follow veteran organic orchardists and bugscapers as we attempt to understand and observe how the complex web of biodiversity and crop production interact right before our eyes!

Come witness first hand, the deadly world of insect predators as they relentlessly pursue their prey against countless obstacles while we probe such riveting questions as, “Does this pollinate pears?, “Why is this wasp called a parasitoid?”, and “Hey, why isn’t this beneficial insect around when I need him the most?”.

This is a free BYOB (bring your own bug) event so if some insect has been bugging you this summer and you don’t know what it is pop it in a jar and bring it along. Participants are also invited to join us for an organic fruit tasting at the end of the walk.
Please register by calling Gwendolyn Ellen at 541-737-6272, gwendolyn@science.oregonstate.edu

The farm walks are sponsored by OSU’s, Farmscaping for Beneficials Project at IPPC and The Xerces Society who are working together on projects that support grower-led activities to build the knowledge and implementation of conservation biological control (CBC) on local farms. Conservation biological control can be defined as methods used on and around farms to restore and enhance beneficial organism populations that can increase to numbers that may limit pest populations. Such methods may include insectary plantings, grassy field margins, beetle banks and hedgerows.