Project Purpose
The purpose for the Integrated Pest Management project was to increase the number of birds in and around the Agroecology Farm. Since the Agroecology farm focuses on sustainability, they do not employ "traditional" forms of pest management (pesticides). From an ecological standpoint, having nature take care of the pests both saves money, and encourages a healthier environment. Common pesticides typically have chemicals that disrupt the ecosystem if introduced outside of the intended area. The farm has seen success in the past with the addition of universal bird houses around the farm with the most frequent tenants being blue birds. When deciding which species of bird to cater to, our options were between: barn swallows, purple martins, and common birds (blue birds). The barn swallows need nothing more than a platform under a structure, whereas the purple martins need isolated housing high in the air. With a universal birdhouse, several types of birds can take residency and in the end, this is the type of bird house we decided to build. Having installed the birdhouses in appropriately spaced areas around the farm, the only thing left to do is to wait for birds to occupy the houses and start contributing to the reduction of pests on the farm.