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 Wearing a white shirt, and spotting the marking on the wings is
usually the second.
During the late summer and early fall small insects, known as
insidious flower bugs and minute pirate bugs, become real pests
by producing painful bites on people. They are about 1/5 of an
inch long with black and white markings on the back, and belong
to the “true bug” family of insects. They are beneficial insects
most of the time - at least while feeding on small insects and
their eggs.
They are present all summer in area fields, flower beds, and
other landscape areas. Most of the summer the insects are
beneficial, but then they become quite the nuisance when their
regular food source runs out. Their painful bite is caused by
their beak breaking your skin. These insects don’t suck blood or
inject venom like mosquitoes.
People differ in their response to the bites. Some people react
to the bites like mosquito bites, with swelling and itching.
Other people have no reaction at all. Control of insidious
flower bugs and minute pirate bugs is not practical. They are
mobile, and the populations change greatly. Wearing dark
clothing on may help, as the insects seem to be attracted to
light colors. Repellents are sometimes effective, but not enough
to make a recommendation. Try the repellents for yourself, and
see if they work for you. You can throw the same group of
repellents in to your trial that you stocked up on for the
buffalo gnats. This means vanilla or Buggins will probably be at
the top of the list.
Pumpkin Time
This week really makes it seem like fall, and one of the
favorite fall decorations is the pumpkin. As a matter of fact,
pumpkins are ripening ahead of normal.
It’s been a challenging year with many of the diseases common in
a wet season, and having a late summer attack of downy mildew.
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Following are some of the cardinal rules for selecting and
keeping pumpkins, particularly with an early harvest season:
- Choose a pumpkin with a stem and never carry it by the stem.
Pumpkins without a stem will not last long.
- Select a pumpkin with a flat bottom, so it will stand
upright
- Avoid pumpkins with holes, cuts or soft spots. These areas
will rot.
- Light colored pumpkins are easier to carve because the skin
is not as hard as darker orange colored ones, but they will not
keep as well.
- Wash the pumpkin with warm water and let it dry before
carving. Using a small amount of dishwashing soap in the warm
water may help extend the life of the pumpkin.
- To make the pumpkin last longer, keep it in a cool place
until ready to carve. After carving, coat the cuts with
petroleum jelly.
- Carving should only be done three days ahead of Halloween.
After cutting, the pumpkin will deteriorate rapidly.
- The use of a candle in the pumpkin will also make it
deteriorate rapidly, so many have gone to battery powered lights
to show off their carving ability.
[By JOHN FULTON, COUNTY EXTENSION
DIRECTOR SERVING LOGAN, MENARD, AND SANGAMON COUNTIES]
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