Illinois Natural History Survey - University of Illinois

 

The background material for teachers and student activities that make up Pests Have Enemies Too were designed to help young scientists become aware of what biological control is and how it can be used to help manage various types of pest organisms that plague humanity. The material in this booklet is likely to be unfamiliar to most middle and early high school students and should be used to supplement existing curricula and texts in biology, ecology, and environmental education. Pests Have Enemies Too is not a curriculum; rather, it is a sequence of activities designed to give students a broad overview of biological control. The concepts presented in these materials is based on sound scientific research and should provide students wit the necessary information about this very important topic so that they may make informed decisions about pest control and pest management in the future.

Each activity is organized by objective, skills to be mastered, vocabulary to be introduced, materials needed to completer the activity, comments to the teacher, and procedure to be followed. We have chosen not to include specific evaluation material. We hope that the completed activities and their products will provide teachers with sufficient bases for evaluation. A glossary of vocabulary to be introduced is included at the end of the guide. Teachers of grades 5-10, as well as Scout, 4-H, and other youth groups, will find the activities in Pests Have Enemies Too are easily adapted for a variety of ages. Several of the activites may serve as science fair projects or as projects for cooperative groups of four or five.

Pests Have Enemies Too: Teaching Young Scientists About Biological Control  provides background material and student activities to teach biological control. Includes book and poster. Additional set of 30 unfolded posters is available. Click to see the poster.
Click for information about ordering the book and poster.