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Beneficial Insects on NYC Farms Pocket Guide

Sam Anderson, Urban Agriculture Specialist
Harvest New York

Last Modified: November 8, 2022
Beneficial Insects on NYC Farms Pocket Guide

The Pocket Guide: Beneficial Insects on NYC Farms provides information on beneficial insects commonly found on New York City farms as well as how to recognize and identify them.

Beneficial insects in this guide refers to natural enemies of pests as well as pollinator insects, like bees.

The guide is a collaboration between NYS Integrated Pest Management and CCE Harvest NY, with content from Ileana Katzman.

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GU?A DE BOLSILLO: Insectos ben?ficos en las granjas de la ciudad de Nueva York

Esta gu?a brinda informaci?n sobre los insectos ben?ficos que se encuentran com?nmente en las granjas de la ciudad de Nueva York, as? como tambi?n c?mo reconocerlos e identificarlos.



Pocket Guide: Beneficial Insects on NYC Farms (pdf; 1378KB)

GUÍA DE BOLSILLO: Insectos benéficos en las granjas de la ciudad de Nueva York (pdf; 1441KB)


Upcoming Events

Biochar 101 for Community Gardens (Upper Manhattan)

October 25, 2025
1:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Upper Manhattan, NY

Join Karen Guzman and Dr. Rebecca Nelson of Cornell University, Bill Hilgendorf of White Feather Farm, and the NYRP Urban Ag team for a deep dive into biochar as a tool for waste management, carbon storage, and soil health in a community garden context. During this hands-on workshop, participants will have the chance to make biochar using garden waste and learn about best practices when applying it to a garden bed. Workshop attendees will all receive a small amount of biochar to take back to their garden.

Space is limited. Pre-registration required.

Biochar 101 for Community Gardens (Bronx)

October 26, 2025
11:00 AM - 2:00 PM
Bronx, NY

Join Karen Guzman and Dr. Rebecca Nelson of Cornell University, alongside the NYRP Urban Ag team for a deep dive into biochar as a tool for waste management, carbon storage, and soil health in a community garden context. During this hands-on workshop, participants will have the chance to make biochar using garden waste and learn about best practices when applying it to a garden bed. Workshop attendees will all receive a small amount of biochar to take back to their garden.

Space is limited! Pre-registration is required.

Announcements

New Produce Auctions in NYS!

With the opening of the new Augusta Produce Auction on August 19th, New York State now has 11 produce auctions! See the new map of produce auction locations across the state and contact information.

New York Urban Farms Sustainable Pest Management Fact Sheet Series

Cornell Cooperative Extension has partnered with dozens of urban farms across New York State to demonstrate and evaluate sustainable pest management strategies. Together with farmers, we found success using control methods that prevent or reduce crop losses through exclusion strategies, crop timing, host resistance, the introduction of beneficial organisms, and more. Regardless of management strategy used, common requirements for success include a knowledge of the pest and disease complex, preventative deployment and commitment to the process. The New York Urban Farms Sustainable Pest Management Fact Sheet Series includes case studies highlighting pest management techniques that New York urban farms have found valuable.