April 15, 1992
Cave Crickets
One of the occasional insect pests encountered in home basements is the cave or camel cricket. The cave crickets and the well-known field crickets are from different families but look vaguely similar. Cave crickets have very large hind legs with "drumstick-shaped" femurs and long, slender antennae. They are brownish in color and rather humpbacked in appearance. They are wingless and up to one inch long.
Reviving Houseplants
With the need to complete outdoor chores that were put on hold by the early onset of fall and the excitement of a new gardening season, many people may be neglecting the houseplants that served them so well during the winter months. Even though some of these plants may look worse for the winter wear, spring can be the ideal time to bring them back to their full potential and put some green in your thumb.
Winter Plays Havoc With Iowa Lawns
Reports of damaged lawns have come into the Horticulture Extension office from all over Iowa this spring. Damage ranges from dead turf underneath trees to complete death of the lawn. The cause of damage varies from site to site.
Sinbar Use On Strawberries
EPA has just approved a supplemental label for Sinbar use on strawberries. Last year DuPont announced that it was canceling the use of Sinbar on strawberries, leaving only 5 registered herbicides for this crop. However, a label with lower use rates has been accepted. This change should alleviate injury problems that occasionally occurred in the past. The new application rate will be 2-6 oz product/acre (0.1-0.3 lb a.i./ac) instead of 8-20 oz/acre (0.4-1.0 lb a.i./ac). No more than 8 oz product/acre per season can be applied versus a previous no-seasonal limitation.
Ultrasonic Pest Control Claims Challenged by FTC
The Federal Trade Commission has charged Sonic Technology Products, Inc., Grass Valley, California, with making false and unsubstantiated promotional claims for its ultrasonic devices called "PestChaser" and "Pestrepeller."