Soil Insects and Other Arthropods in Palouse Agroecosystems

Soil arthropods play a significant role in the soil ecosystem. But producers tend to be more familiar with that of other soil creatures, like earthworms and microbes. To address the knowledge gap, this bulletin discusses arthropods’ effect on soil health. Along with discovering what types of arthropods are more prevalent across the Palouse (based on a recent UI Extension survey), you’ll learn the ABCs about what arthropods are and how they function in the soil ecosystem, plus peruse a brief discussion of management methods. Packed with photomicrographs and other full-body portraits, the reading not only sharpens arthropod identification skills, but also the recognition that considering arthropods is equally vital when making agricultural management decisions.