Lancaster farming. (Lancaster, Pa., etc.) 1955-current, July 12, 1975, Image 63

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    Scientists Find Destructive
Insects 100 Miles At Sea
The corn earworm •
Heliothii zea Boddle • may
not win any popularity
contest!, but it is a strong
contender aa an Olympic
champion at “tree flight."
This moth can fly nonstop
across 100 miles of water.
To prove it, two en
tomologists of USDA’s
Agricultural Research
Service equipped traps with
ultraviolet lamps and placed
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them on unmanned oil
drilling platforms 100 miles
offshore in the Gulf of
Mexico; the com earworm,
with other crop-destructive
Lcpidoptera, found the
mark.
In an experiment designed
to test the flight range of
various pest insect species,
battery-operated, black-light
insect traps were installed
20, 40. 66. and 100 miles off
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shore between Morgan City
and Jeanerette, La. The
traps captured more than 100
species of adult Insects from
7 different orders.
Their common names
make a shopping list in
reverse for vegetable lovers:
beet armyworm, cabbage
looper, velvet bean cater
pillar, com earworm. ARS
entomologist Robert D.
Jackson, U.S. Sugarcane
Laboratory, Houma La., also
cites the fall armyworm,
large cotton leafworm, black
cutworm, tobacco budworm,
and the granulate cutworm
as species captured.
At the Southern Grain
Insects Laboratory, Tifton,
Ga., entomologist Alton N.
Sparks reports that all four
traps captured com ear
worms - 27 at 20 miles, 16 at
46 miles, 8 at 66 miles, and 3
at 100 miles.
The distance covered by
insects in flight has long
been studied by en
tomologists. Many
eradication experiments
have been conducted with
the assumption that isolation
of a few miles was sufficient.
“We discovered in 1972 that
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the corn earworm could be
captured in light traps on a
television tower from 25 ft. to
1,047 ft. above ground," said
Dr. Sparks. "Trapping
records led us to believe that
com earworms were capable
of attaining controlled flight
altitudes in excess of 1,000 ft.
throughout the normal flight
season." Controlled flight is
flight controlled by the in
sect, but which may be
assisted by the winds. "We
also found that the insect
migrated a distance of at
least 16 miles in one night
and at least 45 miles in one to
four days."
This flight capability is
particularly important
because Heliothis zea is a
prime target for sup
pression.
Former ARS entomologist
Clinton L. Allen, currently a
commercial helicopter pilot
at Lafayette, La., observed
the presence of insects many
mites out into the Gulf. Dr.
Sparks and Dr. Jackson,
using a leased helicopter
from the U.S. Geological
Survey, followed this “tip”
with a study to determine
both the species of the insect
and the distance from land
the insects had traveled;
The researchers placed
funnel-type traps 15 in. in
diameter and 18 in. high on
four unmanned oil platforms
in the Eugene Island area of
the Gulf, 30 miles wide and
extending ISO miles south of
the Louisiana coast.
A 1-qt. collecting container
was placed below the funnel;
one-half was filled with
diesel oil or formalin solution
to kill the captured insects. A
15-watt black-light lamp was
secured in the center of four
baffles. The lamps were
energized by a 12-volt bat
tery controlled by a photocell
to operate between sunset
and sunrise. All traps were
placed on the platforms for 6
weeks during the fall.
Cooperating oil field per
sonnel on adjacent manned
platforms exchanged and
charged the batteries and
changed the collecting
containers.
Entomologists Sparks and
Jackson concluded that the
majority of captured moths
were traveling on a south
bound cool front. “Regar-
Lancaster Firming. Saturday. July 12,
dless of that," said *Dr.
Sparks, "these travels must
have been controlled flights.
Rig locations art clumped
around salt domes on the
Gulf floor • we could fly 10
minutes by helicopter
without sighting a rig - and
light traps are generally
ineffective over a long
distance."
Why conduct the ex
periment 100 miles over
water?
The trapping experiment
clearly Indicated that much
larger isolation areas may
Klassy
Klippers
The Landisville Klassy
(Clippers Gub met on July 3
at the Centerville Junior
High School.
Sarah Roth presided over
the meeting with Linda
Barrett giving the pledge.
Sue Grim gave a report on
her trip to the 4-H Leader
ship Congress at Penn State.
Debra Gregory gave a
demonstration on modeling.
Demonstrations were also
given by Cindy Harr,
Suzanne Coley, Debbie
Risser, Janelle Gingrich,
Linda Barrett and Debbie
Hoover.
Nancy Mays
News Reporter
BEEF SALES
MONDAY 2:30 P.M.
THURSDAY 12:00 NOON
Sale Order - Fat Bulls, Steers, Stockers, Beef
Cows and Veal Calves.
NEW HOLLAND SALES STABLES, INC.
Phone 717-354-4341
Daily Market Report Phone 717-354-7288
Abe Diffenbach, Manager
Field Representatives - Bob Kling 717-354-5023
Luke Eberly 215-267-6608
be required for
eradication program*. "We
know, for imtance, that the
insect* in this experiment
did not originate 10 miles
away," said Dr. Jackson.
"There’s no in-between. And
they were still able to react
to stimuli - such as light -
alter flying many miles."
Destructive insects like
corn carworms, the soybean
looper, and the cabbage
looper can reinfest areas
from much greater distances
than researchers had
previously assumed.
Busy
Bakers
The 4-H Busy Bakers Club
met recently at the Church of
God in Mt. Joy. Officers
elected to lead the club were
Gail Bukowski, president;
Melissa Thompson, vice
president; Lorretta
Burkhart, secretary;
Valeria Fahmstock,
treasurer; Diane Martin and
Karen Mummau, game
leaders and Jodi Baker, song
leader.
The Gub will be meeting
every Tuesday at the Church
of God for their meetings
throughout the next six
weeks.
Crystal Sweigart
News Reporter
If you have fat
cattle or
need feeders . . .
THINK
NEW HOLLAND
63
X 975—