COLLEGE PARK, Md. You may have noticed some 'unwel come visitors in your garden re cently. Visitors that turn picture perfect plants into mangled, be draggled clumps of petals and leaves. In case you haven’t guessed, the visitors we’re talking about are Japanese beetles. And like it or not, they’ll be around for another few weeks, chewing their way with abandon through your gar den. Some may linger until late September. Although adult Japanese beetles seem especially attracted to roses, annuals, vegetables, and grapes, they often feed on more than 250 kinds of plants, according to Eh*. Lee Heilman, an entomologist with the Maryland Cooperative Extension Service (MCES). Just one or two of the insects can vir tually destroy a flower in a matter of hours. When it comes to control, there’s good news and bad news. The good news is that control methods are available. The bad news is that none of them is com pletely effective. If the number of Japanese bee tles in your yard is small, you can inspect your plants and remove the beetles manually. If you have a serious infestation or if you spend most of the day away from home, some destruction will occur if you rely solely on this method. Although insecticides formulat ed for use against Japanese beetles will kill beetles that eat or walk on treated leaves, they remain effec tive for only a few days, a week at most You may need to spray some ornamental plants several times ■ANDLBS CUSTOMERS c _ and Equipment with care AnEffiptoyw Rate Financing • 0% For • 7.9% For • 8.9% For 12 Months 24 Months 36 Months BNB9OO Power Shuttle Feeder The Simplest, Toughest Feeder You Can Buyl ■ ST 9 ■ Fast, high-capacity belts or chains feed distribution ■ Simple worm gear dnve cha|^ ■l4 gauge galvanized replacement feeder unit steel trough e Ufwr 4 FANCY FURROW FARMS AG EQUIP., INC. RR 1. Uhler Rd. Easton, PA 18042 <216) 252-8828 HONESDALE SPREADING SERVICE INC. 505 Cliff St Honesdale, PA 18431 (717) 253-2410 CHIDESTER FARMS RD 2, Box 75 Kingsley, PA 18826 (717) 289-4260 PIKEVILLE EQUIPMENT INC. RT 2, Oley, PA 19547 (215) 987-6277 Japanese Beetles Can Be Controlled during the summer to prevent ser ious damage caused by the beetles as they migrate from one yard to another. The most common insecticides for use against Japanese beetles are methoxychlor, malathion, and carbaryl. All are effective if ap plied according to directions on the label. They may be used on vegetables and fruit trees but may involve a pre-harvest waiting pe riod. Check the product label for instructions. “One thing to keep in mind,” said Heilman, “is that carbaryl is highly toxic to honey bees. If you use it, apply it late in the evening when the bees are less active.” Another control option involves Japanese beetle traps that attract and capture large numbers of adult beetles. Although the traps are ef fective in helping you determine how large beetle populations are, Heilman does not recommend them as the primary means of con trol. “Used by individual homeown ers,” he said, “they may actually do more harm than good by at tracting beedes from all over xhe neighborhood and concentrating damage in a small area close to the trap site. If you decide to use a trap, place it away from valued or namental plants and shrubs.” Long-term control of Japanese beetles must focus on the larval stage, or grub, which lives in the soil and feeds on grass roots, caus ing approximately 95 percent of all grub-related turf damage. “Early August is the best time to inspect lawns for larvae,” said Heilman. “By this time, most of the eggs have hatched and the lar ER ge :es •ams ’vc , ’9O MELVIN a INLLER RT 2. Spring Mill*. PA 16875 - ‘[S' V /aid 499>8970 Rising Sun, MD 21911 t 8 4) 2 (301) 658-0923 BHM FARM EQUIP. INC. RR 1, Annville. PA 17003 (717) 867-2211 HESS' EQUIPMENT Sales & Service RR 3. Miffllnburo, PA 17844 (717) 966-2720 966-1998 SHOW EASE STALL CO. 573 Willow Rd Lancaster, PA 17601 (717) 299-2536 vae are 54 to 54 inch long.” The best, most environmentally sound, approach to killing Jap anese beetle larvae is to apply a dust or powder containing a nat urally-occurring bacterium to your lawn. The bacterium, which is cul- tured in a laboratory, causes milky disease in the grubs. “This material is safe to apply and will not harm humans, pets. included enzymes that degrade plant cell walls. The enzyme pro duct is based on the fact that cer tain enzymes break down the cell walls of the plant material. Theoretically, this would release carbohydrates on which the bac teria feed, thus giving the bacteria an increased food source and ena bling them to multiply and pro duce lactic acid more rapidly. “We found that even at 50 times the recommended amounts, the addition of enzyme did not speed up lactic acid production,” Kung said. “It wouldn’t be economical to add an amount of enzyme that wpuld have an effect ‘Practically speaking. I ques- Big Prize Going To Young Farmer GETTYSBURG (Adams Co.) all tfie work that you’ve put into be obtained from a member of the The Honda Motor Company is y° ur farming operation and the Pennsylvania Farmers’ Associa making an outstanding prize avail- man y hours as a volunteer in agri- tion Young Farmer and Rancher able to the Young Farmer and cultural organizations as well as Committee or the PFA’s member Rancher Achievement Award community and civic groups. relations division. (717)761-2740. winner of the Adams County ACFA is looking for young Deadline for application is Au- Farmers Association. farmers to enter the 1990 Young gust IS. The state winner goes to Are you under 30? Here’s an Farmer and Rancher Achievement the American Farm Bureau annual opportunity to be recognized for A ward contest An application can meeting in Phoenix, Arizona. FARMER BOY AG 410 Lincoln Ave. Myeratown, PA 17067 (717) 866-7565 DEERFIELD AG & TURF CENTER, INC. RD 2, Box 212 Watsontown, PA 17777 (717) 538-3557 TERRA-VIEW FARMS RD 4, Jersey Shore, PA 17740 (717) 398-4177 Research Studies Biocontrol (Continued from Page Dl6) ft SERVICE 12312 CM Hill Rd Woodtboro, MO 21798 (301) 898-3233 RANCK’S FARM EQUIP. SALES RD 2, Box 164 Lewistown, PA 17044 (717) 899-7543 I.G. AG SALES* P O Box 200 Silverdale, PA 16962 (215) 257-5136 ‘ Wheel Goods Only wildlife, or insect parasites and predators,” said Heilman. The only disadvantage to this treatment is that it takes two or three years after the first treatment for the milky disease to start effec- tively controlling the grubs, and there must be at least a few grubs in your soil for the spore to mul tiply and spread. Once it is estab lished, however, the disease will tion whether adding enzymes would ever work under the clima tic conditions in the United States,” Kung said. “Most of the research that supports enzyme additives has been done in the United Kingdom where dry matter makes up 15 to 25 percent of the silage. In the United States, silage is 40 to 50 percent dry matter. The moisture can make a difference in the enzyme’s action. Our results were disappointing, but we are looking into the why.” Kung is planning a research project that will replicate U.K. conditions in the lab to check the enzyme-additive efficiency. His new project in the area of biocon trol deals with the stability of sil- • IDEAL FOR NEW CONSTRUCTION, EXISTING HOMES, GREENHOUSES, SWIMMING POOLS. CHURCHES & PARSONAGES. "It was the best investment I ever made!" Maivin Waltz, Lycoming Co. See This Unit At The Clinton Co. Fair Aug. 6th-11th HARDY i! outside jr?' WOOD FURNACE Pf HEATS [LJ YOUR HOME i B m AND \ PP YOUR HOT WATER * FURNACE SITS OUTSIDE -10’-100’ from home/business/barn. Removes fire danger. * CLEAN - No ashes, dust smoke, trash inside. * CONVENIENT - Load every 10-12 hours. Burns logs up to 16" in diameter & 30" long. Stops most log splitting. * THERMOSTAT CONTROLLED - Even heat. * EASILY CONNECTS to forced Air/Hot Water System. Needs no chimney or water heater. Heats domestic hot water year round. Warm months of the year firing every 6 to 10 days. * DAIRY, VEAL & PIG FARMERS - BIG savings for you on heating & hot water costs at barn. ALL STAINLESS STEEL CONSTRUCTION ANY SIZE TO MEET YOUR NEED 90 DAY MONEY BACK GUARANTEE For More Information Contact | Lois Foy Home Pro-Kare, Inc. 3293 N George St., Emigsville, PA 17318 York Co 717-764-4359 or 259-9929 Lancaster Farming Saturday, July 28,1990-Dl7 remain active for 20 or 30 years. As with the traps, spore dust ap plications are most effective when made on a communitywide basis; otherwise, flying beetles will come in from untreated yards close by. For more information on Jap anese beetle control, contact your local extension office. age when exposed to air. “We are working with ICI Bio logical Products to develop a new product that will increase the keeping quality of silage,” Kung said. “When silage is exposed to air, it spoils. Situations in which spoilage losses can be great are broken silage surfaces at bunk silos, the inability to feed out sil age fast enough during the sum mer, and poorly packed silage. In these situations, a farmer could be losing nutrients and dry matter.” Kung points out that mycotoxin formation is another major prob lem in spoiled silages. “We hope to have a product that will preserve nutrients as well as limit the potential for toxin forma tion,” he said. UL LISTED
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