Field Entomology Workshop for Arborists

Presented in conjunction with the International Society of Arboriculture Ontario Chapter (ISAO)

Next course August 22nd-24th 2022

As an Arborist, you encounter countless species of insects in your daily work, but how often do you come across the unknown? Was it a predator, a beneficial species, or perhaps a new invasive pest? Take part in a 2-day workshop filled with interactive activities designed to sharpen your scouting, identification and management skills for pests and beneficial insects of trees and shrubs. The workshop will take place in the tranquil, natural learning environment of the Queens University Biological Research Station (just north of Kingston). Registration includes 2 nights’ accommodation and all meals and is offered to members of the Ontario Chapter of the International Society of Arboriculture. Motivated by their contagious passion for learning, Marvin Gunderman, Dave Cheung, Jen Llewellyn will lead the workshop in an inspiring, engaging, team-building style filled with humour and fun. CEU’s will be available.

The workshop comprises a series of interactive lectures that cover the diversity of insects with an emphasis on the major orders (Coleoptera, Diptera, Hymenoptera, Lepidoptera and Hemiptera). You will learn about the grotesque nature of parasitic wasps, discover the amazing diversity of flies, and be fascinated by the lifecycle of host switching parthenogenic gall-making aphids, that and much more.

After the lectures, prove your newly-found knowledge in one of the many interactive team-based games. Whether it’s the fast-paced identification game “Speed-ID” or strategy-filled “Insect Guess Who”, you and your team are guaranteed to have a great time while learning lots in the process. At the end of the workshop, one final group challenge puts everything you’ve learned to the test, including your identification, scouting and collecting skills!

Below is a typical day at the workshop. Lectures are broken-up with fun, high-energy games and collecting trips.

timeline-1 — Here is an excerpt from the workshop schedule.

This unique, content-rich workshop will build your confidence and ability in all of your plant health-related activities and supports previous and future IPM training. You will save time when answering customer inquiries about insect identification, all while building customer trust and loyalty.

But, don’t take our word for it, the following are just some of the comments we received from past participants:

“Atmosphere – Instructors – Positive energetic atmosphere that made learning fun. Very knowledgeable instructors.”