Soil Sampling and Pit Fall Trapping in the
Field - November 2007
What we are finding in the field so far - November 2007
Beetle banks in the field; lessons in site preparation and weed management - November 2007
Outreach and events - November 2007
Soil Sampling and Pit Fall Trapping in the Field-November 2007
Mike Russel and Gwendolyn Ellen began the year searching 
for predacious ground beetles in soil core samples taken directly from the three year old beetle banks at Persephone Farm, in Lebanon, OR, and Hyslop Research Station. They also collected soil samples from different surrounding habitat and cropped fields at Persephone Farm. Animals were hand extracted from these samples by arduously picking through them with knitting needles.
Dr. Jepson hand-sorting insects in samples.
All of the samples have been searched and the critters extracted and most identified. Counts have been made of spider and beetle individuals. There were a number of Diplura, a primitive, blind, white, wingless, hexapod (six-legged creature) that dates back to the Devonian Period, 400 million years ago, found throughout the samples. No longer classified as insects, these hexapods comfortably make the soil their home feeding on live and decayed vegetative matter. Some are predators. Though they are white and move quickly in the soil like garden symphylans a closer look will reveal many telling differences including two long antennae at the head and two, long to forceps-like cerci (appendages that resemble antennae) towards the rear. Spiders, daddy long legs (harvestmen), millipedes, some centipedes, insect larvae and beetles were also found.
Mike and Gwendolyn have already begun collecting similar soil core samples this fall from Persephone Farm and Hyslop Research Station. We have expanded our sample taking to Gathering Together Farm (GTF) in Philomath. GTF’s bank was a year old this summer. This year’s soil samples will increase our base line of information and at Persephone and Hyslop we will be able to roughly compare with last year’s samples. Please refer to the section below for a summary of the field sampling results in terms of total species richness. We are experimenting with a new technique (for us) of extracting the animals from the soil samples called a Berlese Funnel. It consists of metal buckets with funnels at the bottom and a cover with a light bulb on the top. The premise is that the bright light, heat and dryness of the sample will cause the critters to evacuate the sample, fall down into the funnel neck and splash into the jar of alcohol at the bottom. After comparing this to the knitting needle technique we have concluded that the Berlese Funnels is our method of choice for soil sample processing as it takes less time and is more objective a method of animal extraction.
We have also continued to take plant density measurements on the older banks this summer as well as pit fall trapping. The traps were set near the beetle banks at Persephone Farm, Gathering Together Farm and Hyslop Research Farm twice a month from June through September. The traps were left in the field for 2-3 days before being collected. With the help of Mike and student worker, Alec Kretchum, all of the beetles will be identified and counted from these samples before next summer. Mike has done an excellent job of id
entifying the beetles from samples. Oregon Department of Agriculture Entomologist, Jim Labonte, has verified many of the identifications for us. On the right, Mike Russell is taking plant density measurements on the bank.
In August and September 2007, Mike deployed an array of hobos – electronic data loggers that measure temperatures over the course of a day - to document the effect of different grasses on soil temperature. Data analysis is progressing, and the loggers will be redeployed to document cold weather conditions this winter. Above, Gwendolyn Ellen is checking pitfall traps with Hyslop bank in the background.
What We are Finding in the Field, So Far-November 2007
Here is a brief summary of preliminary 2006 trapping data from Persephone Farm, GTF and Hyslop Research Station provided by Mike. From the 2006 pitfall trapping at Persephone (8 stations, 3 dates), GTF (2 stations 1 date), and Hyslop (1 station 1 date) we caught 13 different species of Carabid beetles, at least 4 species of spiders, and other miscellaneous arthropods, totaling 35 species overall.
From the February, 2007, soil core samples, 9 from Persephone, and 5 from Hyslop, we have found 18 different species of Carabid beetles, 24 species of rove beetles, more than 20 species of spiders, and 9 species of ants for a total of
about 139 different arthropod species overall. There is clearly a greater diversity of beetles and arthropods in the soil core samples than in the pitfall samples.
Figure 1. Total number of individuals collected in soil core samples on Persephone Farm in February 2007.
As the graph shows, the teasel meadow contained the highest number of beetles at Persephone. The teasel meadow is a field margin that has not been disturbed for a very long time. More Carabids were found in the teasel meadow and in the cedar slope samples than in the field (Center of A) and in the roadside samples. The beetle banks are only three years old. Research shows that it takes years for beetles to colonize in-field banks. Which brings up the question of “should we be seeding banks”? Also beetles experts are quick to point out that beetles tend to aggregate in areas on the farm. Because our data set is so small we could well be missing the “best sites” completely. Though it is exciting to see our data laid out on paper it is too early in our field research to make any generalizations about on-farm predatory beetle populations.
Beetle Banks in the Field; Lessons in Site Preparation and Weed Management-November 2007
Two of the six new banks that went in 2006 succumbed to weed pressure. One, at Persephone Farm was tilled in and the other, at 47th Ave Farm’s bank will be reconstructed and seeded in spring, 2008.
T
wo contributing factors to Persephone Farm’s decision to till in their 2006 bank were that in the spring there was more quackgrass (Elytrigia repens) than native bunch grass on the bank and secondly, one end of the bank ended up inside the chicken pen. This October they raised another bank in an entirely different location. After hand flaming it several times they seeded the approximately 4 X 500 foot bank with slender wheat grass (Elymus trachycaulus), blue wild rye (Elymus glaucus), and California fescue (Festuca californicus).
Persephone’s other two beetle banks turned three this year. The “front” bank that has served as the “poster bank” of the project, a 500 feet long beauty seeded with water foxtail (Alopecurus geniculatus), slender wheat grass and blue wild rye hosted more broadleaf weeds this season than the previous years.
Persephone;Poster Bank” front view, May 2006.
Persephone's “poster bank” side view, May 2007
The more problematic weeds are quackgrass, Canada thistle (Cirsium arvense) and Himalaya blackberries (Rubus aremeniacus). The water foxtail portion of the bank looked as if it was going to totally die out but 2007’s fall rains have begun to revive it. In contrast, Persephone’s second three year old bank, called the “back” bank contained a lot of perennial rye (Lolium multiflorum) and other broadleaf weeds its first two years. This summer it had a nice combination of native grasses and less noxious weeds (the back bank is not pictured). Both banks were mowed this summer. The back section of slender wheat grass on the “front, poster bank” which took a several years to fill in (see Slender Wild Rye Makes a Comeback, June 2006 in News from the Field 2006) was mowed last summer as well. This section contained markedly less weeds than the mowed section of the same bank this year.
The 47th Ave. Farm’s hand-raised beetle bank began as a 4’ by 100’ swathe cut through a summer cover of Sudangrass. This bank is located at the Zenger Park site. By spring many broad leaf leaves and very little native bunch grass had emerged. Laura tilled the bank several times over the summer and re-raised it by hand. She plans to cover it with black plastic this winter to keep the weeds out and the integrity of the bank structure intact. She will re-seed the bank with meadow barley (Hordeum brachyantherum), slender wheat grassandblue wild rye in spring 2008 after initial weed flamings.
The beetle bank at Hyslop that was seeded fall 2006 is a mixed bag. Weed pressure was not the major problem on this bank as it was not irrigated and it was kept mowed during the summer. There are 18 plots on the bank with 6 different native grasses and three different weed management techniques. Some of the plots fared well and others, particularly those seeded with Junegrass (Koeleria macrantha) and California fescue, did not germinate well and native grass coverage was very low in the fall 2007. Prior weed management treatments of crimson clover, which was allowed to seed and was then mowed, wheat straw mulch, weed barrier cloth, and mowing were done at least a full year before the 2006 fall seeding when the entire bank was tilled and broadcast seeded with three native grass mixes and three new native grasses. The new grasses were meadow barley , California fescue, and Junegrass. The mixes were blue wild rye with water foxtail, blue wild rye with meadow barley and blue wild rye with California fescue. Of those the California fescue, Junegrass and water foxtail were reseeded in fall 2007 to compensate for poor 2007 spring germination.
The transplanted bank at GTF and the organic student club’s bank in the Organic Garden Plot at OSU’s Vegetable Research Farm thrived in 2007. The student’s bank, a 4 X 90 foot bank direct seeded with blue wild rye and water foxtail, had a nasty patch of Crabgrass (Digitaria sanguinalis) last summer but hand-weeding and the bank’s partial reseeding in the fall 2006 helped pull it through. It has never been mowed. 
OSU Organic Student Club Bank
The transplanted Hyslop bank, which is a methods trial with blue wild rye, has also done well this season with minimal hand weeding and no mowing. This bank is not irrigated. There was an observable difference in height of grasses of the transplanted plots, compared with the broadcast seeded plots. The transplanted plots were visually taller.
It also ap
pears that the transplanted plots had better overall ground cover than the direct seeded plots judging only by observation. The blue wild rye broadcast seeded plots on this bank had an original germination rate of about 2%. In the summer 2006 these plots were over-seeded with more blue wild rye resulting in uneven germination between the broadcast plots and cancelling the chances of making scientific comparisons between treatments on this bank. To the left is a transplanted beetle bank at Hyslop in May 2007.
It was clear in the first season, that the mulched transplanted plots fared better than the non-mulched transplanted plots. This bank had very little irrigation its first spring, 2005 which proved to be unusually and no irrigation in subsequent years. The variety trial bank at Hyslop seeded in 2005 is also doing well. The California oatgrass (Danthronia californicus), Roemers fescue (Festuca romeri), and orchard grass (Dactylis glomerata) plots which were originally quite sparse their first year compared to the Elymus plots, have filled out very nicely in their third season. There were few weeds on either of these banks and they were not mowed.
The 4’X 560’, mechanically (and manually) transplanted bank on Gathering Together Farm in Philomath, competed wit
h the student bank as one of the weediest (See, Flaming as a Weed Management Tool on Beetle Banks, inNews from the Field 2006). In its second season the grasses rebounded from the flaming, tillered well, bloomed, and set seed. In the interest of weed management the bank was mowed in May 2007. The bank was not irrigated this summer. The primary weeds seen this year were reed canary grass (Phalaris arundinacea), field bindweed (Convulvulus arvensis), a small amount of redroot pigweed (Amaranthus retroflexus) and other annual broadleaf weeds. On the left is GTF's transplanted beetle bank before mowing in May 2007.
Some of the lessons we learned this season are that you can never do enough weed management when preparing the site for a beetle bank in organic farming systems. The longer and more repetively you can apply the weed management techniques such as flaming or mowing or applying plastic or straw mulch the better. Secondly, it appears that mowing the first year is more important than first assumed. Originally we thought that perhaps because the native bunch grasses grow slower than commercial grasses they should be allowed to seed at least one season before mowing. However, seeing the fall of the “poster bank” at Persephone Farm in its third year to weeds it is a strong argument for mowing from the start. It will be interesting to see how the poster bank looks in its fourth year. Another lesson reinforced this year is that every bank site even if it is on the same farm is different. What works for one may not work at all for others as shown by the stark differences in native grass seed and weed establishment seen in the Persephone and Hyslop banks all planted in the same year. One thing is certain, beetle banks, like predacious ground beetle populations are dynamic and can change from season to season.
Outreach and Events-November 2007
Farmers helped to complete the beetle bank outreach posters for Gathering Together Farm, The 47th Ave Farm, and Persephone Farm spring 2007. The posters have been shown at various functions throughout the year including OR Tilth’s Annual Meetings of 2007 and 2008, and Washington Tilth Producers Annual Conference in November 2007. Gathering Together ordered four copies so that they could display them at their famers market stands. The posters can be seen on the www.beetlebank.org website at http://ippcweb.science.oregonstate.edu/beetlebank/BeetleBanks_Oregon.html
Farmer Laura Masterson of 47th Ave Farm edits poster at her field office
A farmer panel, beetle bank tour, and dinner were held at Gathering Together Farm November 5th. John Eveland of GTF, Elanor O’Brien of Persephone Farm and Peter Kenagy of Kenagy Family Farms were the presenters. They spoke on on-farm beneficial habitat, including insectary plantings, beetle banks and hedgerows. Twenty-five farmers attended. 
Mature Hedgerows at Kenagy Family Farms, Albany, OR
The Farmscaping for Beneficials Project presented a panel on Implementing Conservation Biological Control at the Washington Tilth Producers Annual Conference in Yakima, WA this November to an audience of over 25 farmers. The Banking on Beetles in Oregon farmers were represented by Gwendolyn Ellen. Other speakers were Brad Bailie of Lynwood Farms in Washington. Brad, an organic vegetable farmer, has created beetle banks and other habitat on the edges of his center pivot (see picture below) with Dr. Terry Miller, a Washington State University Entomologist and the third panel presenter.
Beetle bank (center) and insectary plantings on sides at Lynnwood Farms in Connell, WA
The Banking on Beetles and Farmscaping for Beneficials Projects have been highlighted in an article in OSU’s Oregon’s Agricultural Progress, fall 2007 issue. Go to Oregon’s AG Progress Online at http://oregonprogress.oregonstate.edu to check it out. Jeff Falen of Persephone Farm, Harry Stalford of American Grass Seed in Tangent, and Gwendolyn Ellen were featured in the Capital Press article, Beetles ’ Help Enlisted in Fight against Pests, June 22, 2007. Gwendolyn Ellen will be presenting the Banking on Beetles Project nationally in a poster and breakout session at USDA’s Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program’s 20th Year Anniversary Conference in Kansas City, Missouri, in March 2008.
The Farmscaping for Beneficials Project received an extension on the SARE Grant, Banking on Beetles in Oregon, to continue working with Whistling Duck Farm in Medford on constructing beetle banks in spring 2008. Gwendolyn Ellen and other researchers, farmers, conservationists, and industry representatives received funding to develop a conservation biological control and native pollinator work group for the western states to collaborate on CBC issues and projects. It is this very network that enabled us to learn about Dr. Terry Miller and Brad Baillie’s beetle bank work in Washington. We decided not to pursue beetle bank funding from the Organic Farming Research Organization last year but have submitted instead, a collaborative grant proposal this winter with John Lambrinos and Mike Russel of the OSU’s Hort Department, Terry Miller of Washington State and farmers Brad Bailie, Laura Masterson, John Eveland and Sally Brewer, Elanor O’Brien and Jeff Falen to continue taking on-farm predacious ground beetle population data correlated with on and off farm habitat and measuring their effectiveness in organic pest management systems. The Farmscaping for Beneficials Project is also seeking program funding to developing basic data and research methods in conservation biological control that includes insectary plantings in raspberry, blueberry and vegetable systems in Oregon.