Peppermint intercropping for pest management

We established a field intercropping experiment at UBC Farm in 2017. The goal of this experiment was to evaluate the effectiveness of peppermint plants compared to traditional ryegrass/clover mixes in reducing Drosophila suzukii oviposition in the field, and the effect of peppermint intercrops on other invertebrates. In the field, we monitored sentinel fruit baits weekly for D. suzukii infestation. Additionally, we monitored intercropping effects on the invertebrate community through weekly pitfall trap collection. We then sorted insects caught in pitfall traps and identified to order level and categorized insects caught according to functional group: predator, herbivore, or detritivore.