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Integrated Pest Management · Agriculture and Natural Resources

University of California

Biological Control Outreach Materials

We have developed a set of materials to help UC Master Gardeners educate other Master Gardeners and their local communities about biological control. Most of these materials were demonstrated at the 2012 and 2013 regional â??Advanced IPM Training for UC Master Gardenersâ?? workshops. The materials include a PowerPoint presentation, handouts, a poster, preserved natural enemy specimens, and tips for presenting your own biological control class.

Biological Control in Gardens and Landscapes

Getting started

  1. Do some preparation
    • Read the Pest Note Biological Control and Natural Enemies and all the other handouts (below) and be sure you understand the information.
    • We also recommend that you purchase or borrow a copy of the Natural Enemies Handbook and bring it to your class.
    • Also review all the natural enemies in the Natural Enemies Gallery. Sort the gallery list by pest attacked to help teach yourself what pests each natural enemy attacks.
  2. PowerPoint presentation
    • A Biological Control PowerPoint presentation is posted on the ANR Repository. Read the â??Using the PowerPoint presentationâ?? section below for instructions on how to access the file.
    • Practice your presentation before presenting it.
    • Time yourself—it will probably take at least 30 minutes.
  3. Natural Enemies poster
    • UC IPM will supply copies of the Natural Enemies poster for UC Master Gardener programs presenting biological control workshops. However, you must submit a short proposal explaining how you are going to use them.
    • Laminate a display copy of the poster to increase its durability for your classes.
  4. Samples of natural enemies
Beneficial Predators Quick Tip

Primary handouts

View these documents online or download a PDF file. Your UC Master Gardener office should have paper copies of the Quick Tips. If not, ask your coordinator or office staff to order them from us.

Using the PowerPoint presentation

  • The PowerPoint presentation has a suggested script built into each slide. View the Notes Page to see it.
  • You may modify the script to make it more appropriate for your audience. It may be too technical or too long for some audiences.
  • The script also includes captions for the photographs in each slide and in many cases resources for more information.
  • If the slide presentation is too long, you may eliminate some slides.

To access and download the PowerPoint:

  1. Log on to the ANR Portal (login and password protected).
  2. Under the list My Links on the left-hand side, click on Repository.
  3. In the Search Repository box at the top right-hand side of the Repository page, type in the title:
         UCIPMforMGs_BiologicalControl
Natural Enemies of Plant Pests poster

Requesting copies of the Natural Enemies poster

Each UCCE County Director should have several of the Natural Enemies posters for use throughout county programs, including Master Gardener programs. We hope the poster and other materials will stimulate Master Gardeners to do more to educate the public about beneficial insects.

If your Master Gardener program could use additional posters for a special education or outreach program related to biological control, we may be able to provide them. Please submit a proposal for how you plan to use them.