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Step 5: Minimize Risks When Managing Pests 

Purpose 

Gain knowledge and an understanding of the beneficial services provided by insects and their important role in the ecological food chain. Embrace insect biodiversity in your Jersey-Friendly Schoolyard.

Why It’s Important

Insects play a key role in sustaining plant life – they are the basis of all ecological food chains. 

Landscaping for pollinators has many benefits.  Your Jersey-Friendly Schoolyard can provide valuable habitat for declining native bee populations, support endangered species such as Monarch butterflies, and provide sustenance to other important and beneficial insects. Pollinator gardens offer opportunities for observation and scientific research, and lend themselves to important biology and ecology lessons. 

Visit Step 5: Minimize Risks When Managing Pests on the Jersey-Friendly Yards website for more tips, tools and resources.

Standard Actions 

5A:  Explore the important role of pollinators and other insects in sustaining life.  

Provide a lesson to your students about insects and their important role as pollinators or as part of your garden’s web of life. Your lesson should support your school curriculum and be tailored to the insects that live in your area. Ideas include:

  • Life cycles of insects,
  • Soil food web,
  • Bees, butterflies, and other beneficial insects,
  • Macroinvertebrates in streams, and
  • Coevolution of insects and plants.

Resources for Lessons about Insects 

5B: Learn about the harmful effects of pesticides on pollinators. 

Provide a lesson to your students about the connections between pesticide use in the environment and pollinator decline. What are the implications of pollinator decline on farming and food? What are some local level solutions?

RESOURCES FOR LESSONS ABOUT THE EFFECTS OF PESTICIDES ON POLLINATORS 

5C: Learn about invasive insect species. 

Provide a lesson to your students about invasive insect species and their impacts on other plants, insects, or other natural resources in our environment. What are the implications of invasive species on our native ecosystems? What are some local level solutions?

Resources for Lessons about Invasive Insects

General Resources about pollinators and other insects

Ready to Submit Step 5?  

Upload the Required Documentation to Your Custom Link.

When you enrolled, you received a custom link from us for your action item uploads.

What to Submit for Step 5

  • Copy of your lesson plan about the important role of insects in a garden. Include samples of student learning outcomes and photos of students engaged in your lessons. (5A)
  • Copy of your lesson plan about the effects of pesticides on pollinators. Include samples of student learning outcomes and photos of students engaged in your lessons. (5B)
  • Copy of your lesson plan about invasive insects. Include samples of student learning outcomes and photos of students engaged in your lessons. (5C) 

Standard Actions for Creek School Certification