BB—Lancaster Farming, Saturday, April 3,1982 Now that (to com the old phrase ) “Spring is sprung,” you're probably being bombarded with all sorts of gardening catalogs and mail order seed offers, but one which needs special attention and special warning are “inexpensive” offerings of biological controls. People tend to turn toward these offers because they imply a "natural” control for the garden. But, some items sold by mail order firms as "biological con trols” for insects may be over rated, says a University of Maryland insect specialist Lee Heilman, Extension en tomologist at the campus, says that many firms sell beneficial insects that eat harmful insects. "The theory is fine,” says Heilman, "but there are lots of problems in the practice ” One “biological control” (as opposed to chemical controls, such as insecticides) is the ladybird beetle, more commonly called the ladybug In California, the beetles eat insect pests called aphids during the summer. In fall, the adults migrate to the mountains and hibernate over winter In spring, the beetles thaw out and fly to the valleys to lay eggs. Mail order firms collect hibernating beetles and ship them East for home gardeners to release in their gardens to eat aphids But when they’re released, says Heilman, “they take off and tiy to find Califor- ' O ,1 Valh The one and only TROY-BILT Roto Tiller is now on SALE! Save on the tiller now owned by over Vz million gardeners Find out for yourself how much joy gardening can be this very season Visit soon for a free demonstration and try one of TROY-BILT’S seven models for your self See how it beats all others hands down Your Factory Authorized TROY-BILT Dealer Full Parts and Service • Trade-ins H oiling TWO CONVENIENT LOCATIONS: 1755 W. Main St 222 E. Main St. ' Ephrata, PA 17522 Campbelltown, PA 17010 Located on Route 322 Phone (717) 838-6021 Phone (717) 738-1131 Biological Insect Controls They don’t hang around the garden long enough to do any good.” Another poor bet is praying mantis egg cases offered tor purchase by mail. Several hundred eggs may be contained in one egg cluster, and this leads homeowners to think that they’ll have lots ol hungry mantids around the yaid during the summer to eat mosquitoes and othei noxious insects pests Not necessarily so, says Heilman "As soon as the young praying mantis hatch, they’ll eat anything That usually means they end up eating each other very tew survive to eat pest insects ” Those that do, adds the en tomologist, seem to defend territories and drive out others of their kind. By midsummer, thei e are only one or two mantids in an average garden or lawn, anyway. Heilman points out that gai deners would be better off finding their own praying mantis egg cases in fencerows and abandoned lots. Look for hardened masses of troth attached to twigs and goldenrod stems, he suggests. Some insect predators offered in the trade can be more beneficial Heilman recommends lacewing eggs, tor example. "Here’s an insect that feeds on aphids for its whole lite,” he says "The young hatchlings can’t travel tar, and even the adults are pool flyers Most ot the lacewings remain in the general vicinity ot the 'hatchr ” FARM MARKET, INC Pa. HARRISBURG - Pennsylvania apples m cold storage on Feb. 28 totaled 99,827,000 pounds, down 23,564,000 pounds or 19 percent from a year ago, ac cording to the Penn sylvania Crop Repor ting Service This double offset' harrow is available in cutting widths from 9'3" to 15'0" with 9” blade spacing Weight per cutting foot ranges from 296 to 337 pounds and standard features include regreasable toggle mounted ball bearings with AMCOs Protect-O-Shield, feathering blades on rear gangs, 1 h" square cold rolled, high carbon apple holdings down 19 percent DOUBLE OFFSET TANDEM Model F-17 AMCO Introduces Double Offset Harrows Into It’slbugh, Tillagelbol Line. Of that total, York Inpenal apples, at 40,320,000 pounds, comprise the largest variety in cold storage for fresh market and processing. They are followed by Red Delicious apples at 15,246,000, Rome apples Ask your AMCO dealer for a demonstration today AMCO Products Yazoo City, MS 39194 Please contact your local dealer or HAMILTON EQUIPMENT, INC. 567 S. Reading Road Ephrata. PA 17522 Phone: 717/733-7951 at 14,196,000 pounds and Golden Delicious apples at 12,768,000 pounds. Apples in cold storage in the continental United States on Feb. 28 totaled 1,648,926,000 pounds, down 386,911,000 pounds or 19 percent.
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers