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INSECT 



SURVEY 



BULLETIN 



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tate / County / Local Groups 



FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 



College of Agriculture 



University of Illinois 



and Natural History Survey, Urbana, Illinois 



U. S. Department of Agriculture Cooperating 



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'June 2, 1967 



INSECT SURVEY BULLETIN NO. 8 



This series of weekly bulletins provides a general look at the insect' situation 

 (fruit insects excepted), along with suggested, abbreviated control measures. 

 Each individual should check his own fields to determine local conditions. 



Small Grain Insects 



Armyworms hold the spotlight this week. They can be found in most thick, rank 

 stands of grains and grasses. Infestations are heavy in some localized areas, 

 but they are not generally severe. As wheat begins to ripen, watch for head cut- 

 ting or migration of the worms into corn. Adjacent cornfields can disappear over- 

 night under the onslaught of a hungry horde of armyworms. Severe head cutting and 

 migrations into corn are occurring in some areas. In the area south of Highway 50, 

 the worms are maturing rapidly and the time for treatment will be past by the end 

 of this week (June 9) . 



Do not panic and spray unnecessarily for armyworms. Do not make applications until 

 most of the worms are over 1/2- inch long. An armyworm eats 80 percent of its food 

 supply in the last 4 or 5 days of the worm stage. Predators, parasites, and dis- 

 eases also take their toll of small armyworms and can lessen the threat in a few 

 days. Parasites have already been killing some worms. No control is needed unless 

 the population averages 6 or more per linear foot. 



Apply 1/2 pounds per acre of toxaphene for armyworm control in small grains. At 

 the first sign of migration, treat a strip 1 to 2 rods wide in the wheat and a 

 strip in the cornfield, using 2 pounds of toxaphene per acre. There are no restric- 

 tions on the use of the grain. Do not feed the straw or corn forage to dairy ani- 

 mals or livestock fattening for slaughter. Do not contaminate fish-bearing waters 

 with toxaphene. 



We have suggested that dairy farmers not use chlorinated hydrocarbons on their 

 farms. Toxaphene belongs to this group of chemicals. However, the official label 

 permits its use on dairy farms. If it is used on or adjacent to dairy farms, 

 avoid drift onto pastures and hay crops. 



Carbaryl (Sevin) , 1 pound per acre, may be applied to grain fields adjacent to 

 dairy pastures, but not after the heads have begun to appear. Use carbaryl on 

 grass pastures or hay fields if armyworms are very numerous (also in cornfields 

 if migration occurs), but warn area beekeepers that you are applying carbaryl. 

 Trichlorfon (Dylox) , an organic phosphate insecticide, at 3/4 pound per acre, may 

 be used to within 21 days of harvest, but the straw should not be used for live- 

 stock feed. 



