Galls of all shapes and descriptions are appearing on the leaves of maple, oak, and 

 several other shade trees . These galls are caused by mites , wasps , grubs , aphids , and 

 other insects. Each one has its own special tree species and gall formation. In general, 

 the small insect begins to feed on the leaf in its early development, sometimes almost in 

 the bud stage. As a means of protection, the leaf develops this corky growth around the 

 insect. This growth may disfigure the leaf, but it rarely, if ever, hurts the tree. It 

 is too late to do anything now. A spray of malathion in the early stage next spring would 

 reduce the galls next year. 



Seventeen -year locusts are being reported in northeastern Illinois. These pests appear 

 every 17 years --as the navy and black, clear-winged adult. Their high-pitched shrill 

 singing can be heard for some distance. They deposit their eggs on the tips of twigs. 

 The young hatch, go into the ground, and will emerge as adults 17 years from now. 



READ THE INSECTICIDE LABEL AND FOLLOW ALL PRECAUTIONS. 



WEEDS 



So far, preplant applications of Sutan-atrazine and Ramrod- at razine have performed well 

 in corn. Some grasses emerged in fields where Sutan-atrazine or straight Sutan was used, 

 but then twisted, curled, and died. More farmers used the Ramrod-atrazine combination this 

 year and got good results. This is one of the outstanding corn treatments. 



Many fields received quackgrass treatments too late. If you have some perennial grasses 

 (quackgrass or wirestem muhly) in corn, do the best you can with cultivation and plan to 

 make a good atrazine treatment this fall. Atrazine is effective, but the treatments 

 should be made in the fall or spring before plowing --not after seedbed preparation. 



If you have equipment for direct spraying and there is enough height difference between 

 annual grass weeds (foxtail, panicum) and corn, you might try Lorox or Dowpon as directed 

 sprays. However, it is better to rely on cultivation before the grass gets too high, be- 

 cause these treatments may injure the crop. 



POSTEMERGENCE HERBICIDES FOR CORN 



Do not mix 2,4-D with atrazine and oil. If corn has been recently sprayed with 2,4-D, 

 there may even be some risk in using atrazine and oil soon after. Although no one has reported 

 any corn injury from 2,4-D, be sure to apply proper rates. Do not make applications if the 

 corn is under stress. 



2,4-D spraying is economical, effective, and especially helpful where no herbicide has been 

 used or where only a grass killer such as Sutan, Ramrod, or Lasso was used. 2,4-D will con- 

 trol velvetleaf if applied before the weeds are big enough to effectively compete with the 

 crop. 



AAtrex, applied preemergence or postemergence, will generally control smartweed. If you 

 still have a smartweed problem, 2,4-D postemergence may curl the leaves but probably will 

 not give good control. AAtrex action is sometimes delayed on velvetleaf. The velvetleaf 

 may emerge but then dies . 



Banvel postemergence gives good smartweed control, but watch out if soybean fields are 

 ; near cornfields that you are treating. The risk of injuring soybeans is high. 



