Online Greenhouse Scout School
Cornell University is partnering with the University of Vermont and the University of Maine to offer a 6-week webinar series in scouting for disease, insect and weed pests of greenhouse ornamentals, although the principles will apply to other crops. Learn how to identify the major pests of greenhouse floriculture crops, make scouting faster and easier, communicate with growers and owners, and find resources to help.
Sessions will be led by Stephanie Burnett, Margery Daughtrey, Betsy Lamb, Elise Lobdell, John Sanderson and Cheryl Sullivan.
February 13–March 27
Certificate Program Presentations:
Thursdays
6:00-7:30 p.m.
Webinar Series Presentations:
Thursdays
6:30-7:30 p.m.
Registration Options
Register for our certificate program or select individual topics from the webinar series.

Certificate Program
Earn a certificate demonstrating your knowledge and skills as a greenhouse scout. This option includes all presentations, scouting equipment, electronic resources and discussions with presenters and other students.
Registration deadline: January 24, 2025
Cost: $300
Webinar Series
Choose only the sessions that match your area of interest.
Cost: $25 per session or $125 for all seven sessions.
Please register at least one business day before the webinar, especially if you wish to receive pesticide recertification credits.
Pesticide Recertification Credits
One NYS pesticide recertification credit for each webinar will be applied for in categories 1a, 3a, 3c, 24 and 25. Please contact Elizabeth Lamb as soon as possible if you are interested in receiving pesticide recertification credits from other states, and we will try to accommodate your request.
To receive credits, you must be on your own computer or smart device so we can identify who is present. You will also need to send a photo of your pesticide license in advance of the program. More information will be sent upon registration.
Questions?
Contact Elizabeth Lamb
eml38 [at] cornell.edu (eml38[at]cornell[dot]edu)
Schedule
February 13
Intro to Scouting
- Goals of scouting and review of useful tools
- Root rots
- Fungus gnats and bios
February 20
Mechanics of Scouting and Record Keeping
- Sampling plan and record keeping
- Aphids
- Botrytis and other fungal leaf spots and rusts
February 27
Overview of Scouting Part 1
- Patterns in scouting
- Mites
- Bacterial diseases
March 6
Overview of Scouting Part 2
- How to make scouting easier
- Mildews, downy and powdery
- Whitefly
March 13
Scouting resources
- Scouting resources
- Thrips
- Abiotic disorders
March 20
Communicating Scouting Results
- Scouting through the season (Elise video)
- Virus diseases
- Mealybug and scale
March 27
And everything else
- Other insects and related critters you might see: leaf hoppers, leaf miners, saltmarsh caterpillars (or other caterpillars) tarnished plant bugs, slugs, ants
- Other diseases and related critters you might see foliar nematodes, root knot nematodes, phytoplasmas, parasitic plants (if not in weeds)
Instructors
Coordinator of the Ornamentals Program of the New York Stay Integrated Pest Management Program
Emeritus Assistant Professor in the Entomology Department at Cornell University
IPM consultant and scout for 30 years
Associate Professor of Horticulture, University of Maine
Integrated Pest Management Research Technician at the University of Vermont Entomology Research Laboratory
Senior Extension Associate, School of Integrative Plant Science Plant Pathology and Plant-Microbe Biology Section at Cornell University