In agriculture, a beetle bank is a strip of grass or perennials in a field that provide habitat which fosters and provides cover for insects hostile to pests. They are used as a form of biological pest control to reduce or replace the use of insecticides. Subfamilies There are 7 subfamilies: Subfamily Arundinoideae Subfamily Bambusoideae Subfamily Centothecoideae Subfamily Chloridoideae Subfamily Panicoideae Subfamily Pooideae Subfamily Stipoideae The true grasses are monocotyledonous plants (Class Liliopsida) in the Family Poaceae, formerly also known as Gramineae. ... A Red Valerian, a perennial plant. ... Look up field in Wiktionary, the free dictionary A green field or paddock Field may refer to: A field is an open land area, used for growing agricultural crops. ... The term habitat has a number of unrelated meanings: A concept in Ecology: see habitat. ... Classes & Orders Subclass: Apterygota Orders Archaeognatha (Bristletails) Thysanura (Silverfish) Monura - extinct Subclass: Pterygota Orders Ephemeroptera (mayflies) Odonata (dragonflies and damselflies) Diaphanopteroidea - extinct Palaeodictyoptera - extinct Megasecoptera - extinct Archodonata - extinct Infraclass: Neoptera Orders Blattodea (cockroaches) Isoptera (termites) Mantodea (mantids) Dermaptera (earwigs) Plecoptera (stoneflies) Orthoptera (grasshoppers, etc) Phasmatodea (walking sticks) Embioptera (webspinners) Zoraptera... Biological control of pests and diseases // Overview A key belief of the organic gardener is that diversity furthers health. ... Insecticide application by crop spraying An insecticide is a pesticide whose purpose is to kill or to prevent the multiplication of insects. ...

Beetle banks can also serve as habitat for birds and rodents.

Origin

According to a March 2005 draft entry for the Oxford English Dictionary, the term first came into use in the early 1990s, with published examples including the August 22, 1992 issue of the New Scientist and an October 12, 1994 reference in The Guardian society section: The Oxford English Dictionary (OED) is a comprehensive dictionary published by the Oxford University Press (OUP). ... // Events and trends The 1990s are generally classified as having moved slightly away from the more conservative 1980s, but otherwise retaining the same mindset. ... New Scientist cover - 18 December 2004 New Scientist is a weekly international science magazine covering recent developments in science and technology for a general English-speaking audience. ... The Guardian is a British newspaper owned by the Guardian Media Group. ...

‘Beetle banks’, a recent initiative by the Game Conservancy Trust, would also help encourage ground-nesting birds while creating cover for aphid-eating bugs with more pay-off in savings on aphicides.

As of 2005 the website of the Game Conservancy Trust notes that the organization invented beetle banks in collaboration with the University of Southampton. Families There are 10 families: Adelgidae - adelgids, conifer aphids Anoeciidae Aphididae Drepanosiphidae Greenideidae Hormaphididae Lachnidae Mindaridae Pemphigidae Phloeomyzidae Phylloxeridae Thelaxidae Aphids or greenfly, plant lice (superfamily Aphidoidea) are small plant-feeding insects (1 to 10 mm). ... The English suffix -cide denotes an act related to killing or death. ... 2005 is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... University of Southampton Dolphin logo The University of Southampton is a British university situated just north of the city of Southampton, on the south-coast of the United Kingdom. ...

External link

• Beetle bank, from the Game Conservancy Trust website