Tiny wasps wage war on alfalfa weevil
BALTIMORE, Md. Can gnat
sized European wasps save far
mers million of dollars, reduce the
need for insecticides and save
scarce resources’
“Yes,” says U.S. Department of
Agriculture officials who are
working to control the destructive
alfalfa weevil.
“The alfalfa weevil costs far
mers hundreds of millions of
dollars a year by feeding on
alfalfa,” says Gary Moorehead of
USDA’s Animal and Plant Health
Inspection Service, “but our state
federal biological control effort
with farmers’ cooperation can
cut the damage significantly ”
The weevil reduces yields and
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lowers the nutritional value of
alfalfa. This damage is of concern
to dairy farmers, who depend
heavily on alfalfa hay for their
cattle, Moorehead said.
The wasps are tiny
that lay their eggs on or in the
weevil. After hatching, the young
wasps feed on the weevil, killing it.
“Farmers can help the wasps
along by timing any insecticide
applications so they are more
likely to kill weevils and less likely
to kill the wasps, ” said Moorehead.
Like many crop pests, the alfalfa
weevil is a foreigner that entered
without the natural enemies that
keep it in check overseas. From
original entry points in Utah m
Of course, the seminar will cover more than hogs. We’ll get
- into cattle, grains and even gold and silver too, if you choose .
the early 1900’s and again near
Babtomore, Md., in the ’so’s it
spread throughout the United
States.
USDA insect explorers located
the wasp parasites in Europe, ran
tests to make sure they wouldn’t
become pests themselves, im
ported them and released them
here, beginning the late 1950’5.
“These wasps are nothing to be
afraid of,” said Moorehead. “They
can’t sting or hurt people or even
insects except for the alfalfa
weevil.” '
Followup surveys in the nor
theastern states proved the wasps
could cut the need for insecticides
drastically, Moorehead said, and
today they save farmers in the
Northeast $8 million a year The
savmgs will increase in years to
come, he said, if costs of chemicals
and their application continue to
nse
The renewed parasite effort, now
in its second year, is focused both
on areas where releases weren’t
made before and areas where
there was no systematic followup
of earlier releases. The program
has two main objectives in 1981:
—completion of systematic
surveys in 21 states in the East and
Midwest; and
—small-scale release of
parasites in 11 of these states.
The Survey workers will visit
farms armed with sweep nets and
containers to sample the insect
populations of selected alfalfa
fields. Farms are chosen on the
basis of a nationwide grid and
visited at carefully chosen in
tervals to increase the chances of
TWO HOUR SEMINAR
HEAR HOW THIS FARMER COMMODITIES ADVISOR PREDICTS FUTURE
HOG. CATTLE AND GRAIN PRICES /HELPS OTHER FARMERS MAKE A PROFIT
When most farmers and their bankers said yes, hog prices will go up to $6O last fall,
David K. Sauder’s cylindrical charts and technical analysis said no, prices will go down.
Most farmers and some bankers (now red faced) didn’t take Sauder’s advice. But based on
inside information, this commodities advisor decided to become a farmer and purchase
500 hogs to put on feed. He hedged his grain at a low bid. He hedged his hogs at a high
contract price. And this Spring when other farmers lost money, Sauder made out OK with
his hedges.
TO HELP FARMERS TAKE SOME OF THE RISK OUT
OF FARMING, A SPECIAL TWO-HOUR
COMMODITIES HEDGING SEMINAR IS
SCHEDULED FOR
THURSDAY, APRIL 23 at 7:15 p.m.
at TRADE TECH MANAGEMENT,
INC. OFFICE
1020 Stony Battery Road, Lancaster, PA 17601
(located near Indian Springs Golf Course)
to do so. In addition to the review of what the charts show for
the coming year, Sauder will use his direct computer contact
with the Chicago Board of Trade and the Mercantile Ex
change to show how to lock in a future selling price on any
commodity you may have to sell or that you may need to buy.
Several motion pictures will illustrate the materials covered
by the seminar leader.
collecting all the parasite species
present.
Insects collected are then sent to
a laboratory for identification.
Where key species were not
found in 1980 surveys, releases of
parasites will be made. Workers
will collect parasites from
previously targeted fields with
high parasite populations and set
them free in the new areas. The
parasites can then spread on their
own to neighboring farms.
Followup evaluations will keep
tabs on their progress.
Included in the 1980 survey were
Pennsylvania, West Virginia
(including adjoining areas in
Virginia), Ohio, Kentucky,
Michigan, Indiana, Wisconsin,
Illinois, Minnesota, lowa and
Missouri States to be surveyed for
Penn State offers
dairy-livestock summary
UNIVERSITY PARK The 1981 Livestock Research Summary
Dairy-Livestock Research Sum- may be obtained by sending $6 with
mary, published every'other year name and address to; Department
by the Dairy and Animal Science of Dairy and Animal Science, 324
Department at Penn State Animal Industries Building,
University, is now available. Umversity Park, Pa. 16802
Summarized are all topics
presented to dairy and livestock
producers during Dairy and
Livestock Day held March 2 at
Penn State.
Also included are numerous
reports dealing with production of
dairy cattle, beef cattle, sheep, and
swine - as well as animal nutrition.
Copies of the Penn State Dairy-
TRADE TECH MANAGEMENT, INC.
incaster Farming, Saturday, April 11,1981—C29
the first time in 1981 are Virginia,
North Carolina, South Carolina,
Tennessee, Arkansas, North
Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska,
Kansas and Oklahoma.
More surveys will also be con
ducted in states surveyed in 1980,
to gam information on additional
species of parasites.
Small numbers of parasites were
released in 1980 in lowa, Illinois,
Missouri, Michigan and Wisconsin.
In 1981 parasites will be released in
these and other states surveyed in
1980.
By the end of 1982, most-of the
base-line survey work will be
finished nationwide, according to
Moorehead, and large-scale
relocations of the parasites will be
underway.
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While this seminar is not free because
we are offering a lot of information,
you'll want to plan to attend. The cost is
$2O per person refunded if you ever
want to open a hedging account with
Trade Tech.
So hear how this farmer commodities
advisor predicts future prices and let
him help you make a profit from your
farming operation when you use the
futures market contracts. You do need
to register m advance so we can
prepare for you If you need more in
formation or want to make reservations
call collect and ask for David K Sauder,
President at (717) 898-0130