! 



FORAGE CROP INSECTS 



Alfalfa weevil adults will begin migrating back into alfalfa fields in another month or 

 so"! For the south half of the state, we encourage the application of an insecticide in 

 November. This will control the adults before they deposit many eggs in the stems. Such 

 a treatment in most instances replaces a spring application. There will still be weevils 

 feeding on the alfalfa in the spring but usually not in great enough numbers to be of 

 economic importance. Spring treatments kill natural enemies of the weevil such as wasp 

 parasites, but fall treatment does not. 



For fall treatments use methyl parathion, malathion, or diazinon in combination with 

 methoxychlor, or try Imidan or carbofuran. 



We do not yet recommend this fall application in the northern half of Illinois. 



HOMEOWNER PROBLEMS 



Crickets often migrate considerable distances at this time of year. Ordinarily their 

 food supply (in pastures, fencerow, ditch banks, and other grassy areas) dries up in 

 late August or early September. This food shortage- -added to their instinctive desire 

 to migrate- -results in huge swarms, often suddenly appearing around lights at night. 

 Whether or not this migration will occur this year remains to be seen. A chlordane 

 spray around the house foundation and the doorway will help reduce the number of in- 

 vaders that get into the house. 



Leafhoppers also migrate in great numbers and are annoying in and around the home. These 

 wedge-shaped green insects are attracted by the thousands to lights. As with crickets,! 

 they have the urge to migrate as they mature and their food dries up. Chlordane sprays 

 will also be helpful here. 



Ants and spiders as well as leafhoppers and crickets are controlled with foundation 

 sprays of 1-percent chlordane in water. Use the emulsifiable concentrate and dilute 

 with water to a 1-percent strength. Spray the foundation of the house to runoff, as 

 well as a 4- inch strip of soil alongside the foundation. 



Millipedes , the hard-shelled thousand- legged "worms," often migrate into homes in the 

 fall. When disturbed they coil up into a tight ball or roll. A spray of carbaryl 

 (Sevin) on the foundation and several feet out into the yard will greatly reduce the 

 number of millipedes that enter the home. 



Ground beetles are black, brown, or green beetles of various sizes. They run rapidly 

 and are found almost everywhere. They migrate from the fields into homes where they 

 are considered to be nuisances. However, they are beneficial- -they feed on other in- 

 sects. No control is recommended. If they are too great an annoyance in the home, a 

 foundation spray of chlordane or carbaryl will help. 



READ THE LABEL AND FOLLOW ALL PRECAUTIONS 



This weekly report was prepared as follows : 



INSECTS: H .B . Petty, Steve Moore, Roscoe Randell , Don Kuhlman , and Tim Cooley , College 

 of Agriculture , University of Illinois at U rb ana- Champ aign , and the Illinois Natural 

 History Survey. 



WEEDS: Ellery Knake and Marshal McGlamery , Department of Agronomy . 



PLANT DISEASES: M.C. Shurtleff and Ed Burns, Department of Plant Pathology. 



AG COMMUNICATIONS: Ray Woodis . 



The information for this report was gathered by these people, staff members, county 

 Extension advisers, and others, in cooperation with the USDA's Agricultural Research 

 Service, Plant Pest Control Branch. 



