Rapid Response at the Core of our Work
As New York State’s Integrated Pest Management Program, we take seriously our commitment to providing all New Yorkers with real-time information, accessible resources, and trusted guidance on the pests that impact public health, threaten our food supply and disrupt our economy. With 20 million people relying on us statewide, we can’t simply wait for tools and strategies for combatting the next invasive species or tick-borne disease, we must develop those tools and strategies and be ready to deploy them immediately.
There is no better testament to our rapid response efforts than the NYSIPM team's work in 2022-2023. While this report chronicles just a few of the many successes we’ve celebrated this year, our partnerships with our funding agencies, the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets and the New York State Department of Conservation, on spotted lanternfly (SLF) early detection and awareness and the launch of our research to source effective and sustainable alternatives to neonicotinoid insecticides were hallmarks of a banner year.
Leading the Battle Against Spotted Lanternfly
The NYSIPM team established itself as a leader in the fight against the invasive spotted lanternfly, spearheading public education efforts that reached hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers, serving as an authority for state and national media outlets reporting on the spread of SLF, building collaborations with peer organizations and regulatory officials from across the country to share insight, information and experiences, and launching state-of-the-art research efforts to find safe and effective methods of controlling SLF before outbreaks devastate our vineyards, orchards and trees.
Preserving Agriculture: Alternatives to Neonicotinoids
As states across the nation began to explore the connection between dwindling populations of pollinators and endangered species and certain pesticides, we went to work to ensure that New York farmers and growers would have uninterrupted access to the control methods they need to prevent yield and economic loss. Our team initiated more than a dozen field trials to identify alternatives to neonicotinoid insecticides in corn, squash, fruit, soybeans, turfgrass and more, and we did it with input from growers from throughout the state. Although research is ongoing, we have already made several important discoveries—discoveries we know will safeguard NY’s crops and provide peace of mind for the entire agricultural industry for years to come.
Navigating Change
With hundreds of years of combined pest experience, our team has learned that the one certainty in pest management is uncertainty. No matter the threat, however, NYSIPM will be ready to respond with the best interest of all New Yorkers at the forefront of everything we do.
