In an effort to turn away from chemical pesticides, which have the potential to damage the environment, some farmers are looking in a new direction in the age-old struggle against pests. They're warding off intruding insects and noxious weeds with bugs and chickens.
Gary Wenig and his wife bought 40 acres in central Missouri to grow organic vegetables. He planted what are known as "trap crops," sacrificial plants not raised for harvest but that are extra tasty for pesky insects like squash bugs.Once the patches of planted trap were grown, Wenig rolled out a chicken tractor — basically a large, mobile coop on wheels with a mesh-wire bottom — and let several chickens in there feast on the bugs from above.
While the trap crop and chicken system has worked for the Wenigs' small farm, it might not be feasible on a larger, conventional farm. That's why university researchers, along with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, are looking at ways to combat pests by introducing predatory bugs.