Main Content
On February 10th, a group of Rutgers Master Gardeners visited the Philip Alampi Beneficial Insect lab here in Ewing for an incredible behind-the-scenes tour. There are only a handful of these labs in the country, and we are lucky to have one right next door that allows tours in the winter months! We learned about research on the Red Spotted Lanternfly, Brown Marmorated Stink bug, and Spotted Wing Drosophila, which damage fruit crops in NJ. The tour included learning more about how the research is funded, how long it takes, and the process of using this research in the real world to reduce invasive insect populations. Our group split into two groups and got to see things up close, including the mile-a-minute weed we all fear in our gardens and the work being done with weevils to control it. It was great to see our partners at our Insect Fest in their own lab, showcasing the amazing work they’re doing to support more sustainable gardening, farming, and land management.
