KNOWLEDGE OF INSECT HABITS IS AN AID TO PEST CONTROL 



Through knowledge of insect habits greater use can be made of 

 sanitary and cultural means for pest control, and thus insecticides 

 can be conserved. 4-H club members should realize that plants such 

 as cabbage and beans, when allowed to continue to grow after the 

 crops have been harvested, will serve as breeding places for pests. 

 Members with such knowledge will be prompted to destroy crop 

 refuse immediately after the crop is harvested. This practice will 

 not only kill many of the insects present but reduce pests on the 

 next crop. Many scarce insecticides can be saved by employing more 

 hand-methods of control, such as picking off insects and the use of 

 "collars" and protective covers to prevent insects from attacking gar- 

 den vegetables. Club members who know insect habits will be in a 

 better position to devise other simple, inexpensive home remedies as 

 substitutes for critical insecticides needed in the war effort. 



USE SCARCE INSECTICIDES SPARINGLY 



Some of our best and safest insecticides, such as derris, cube, and 

 pyrethrum, are extremely scarce, and are restricted to use on vege- 

 tables high on the food priority list, for which there are no satisfac- 

 tory substitutes. Your county agent or local dealer has a list of the 

 uses that can be made of restricted materials. This scarcity has 

 necessitated many changes in recommendations regarding insecticides, 

 and, no doubt, changes in recommendations will continue as long as 

 the war lasts. Government restrictions may prevent the use of 

 rotenone-bearing compounds as well as some other insecticides for 

 control of certain insects. These restrictions may affect the recom- 

 mendations contained in this manual. It would be advisable, there- 

 fore, before applying an insecticide, to consult your county agent. 

 The life histories and habits of insects described herein should prove 

 as useful as ever in effecting control, even though substitutes may 

 have to be used for the insecticides recommended. 



YOUR EFFORTS WILL HELP WIN THE WAR 



The foregoing information about insecticide shortage is not given 

 to discourage the planting of crops, but rather in the hope that 4-H 

 club members, fortified with such knowledge, will be better able 

 through insect-pest control to save crops and livestock and their 

 products. The things we produce must be protected from insect 

 damage, so that we at home shall be better equipped to meet the vital 

 needs of our soldiers and our allies. By fighting insect pests, we are 

 fighting the enemy, even though we are far removed from the actual 

 fields of battle. 



