HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Lucknow Sentinel, 1991-03-06, Page 41IRM PROGRI!:SS•
Fak • cows are trap
A herd of smelly _f a cows cold
a Car«adiu` cattle farmers at
one, of GT a iaa
Ma 25 ro,a64' imelfza 1%0'4 Me,
cows andhave a cow -like stench,
but in fact are traps beingused t
beef upxesearch on cale-biiti..
Meso rent University biologist "st J
Sutcliffe hopes this work will lead
to the production of an effective
co for controlling blackflieg.
on the ranches of Alberta and
Saskatchewan
Farmersto some regions of west-
ern Canada are plagued by • a par par-
ticutsrly ferocious, cattle -biting
blackfly,explains Sutcliffe. Swarms
of blackfliesuently attack.. the
cattle• drawing, blood and driving
the animals into a. frenzy. The
relentless harassment causes cattle
to become sickly and lose weight -
bad news for beef .
p oducers. .
i
In some cases, the cattle "get a
shock reaction, and die," Sutcliffe
says. At time the flies drive -the
annuals so crazy they stampede
throurgh barns, fences and anything
else in their way, causing tremen-
dous" damage to •p rty.; . s '
Sutcliffe, who specializes : Ate
study of insects, believes blackfke
follow their noses when hunting
then 140>,s. lie t►y,Igto find
wl4t _the bugs find atjractive. and
a + utw 'tieway attle'sieli, and _ to.
tore it in a bottle.
he can isolate the " chemicals
that appeal to blackflies, it may be
possible to. manufacture nttmctarrts
that farmers could use to drawthe
flies away and trap them.
It says a similar technique has
been "incredibly effective" in con -
Crop rotation
is answer to
corn rootworrn
.line the 't9 xt '' Y le pa o 3R,tifw3' ria i CC -,3l .in ono zaiu e2 b
,.�'^ ,.� �-.,-x.� ��. ��.*ti? ACC -,3 in ?�alA4j"
Africa where it is a.pestfor..'man ddevt e
1fr J Gl.i Ctt-D, e
. ! .1.011. 4?
e se
t�.
7
t1i,$�, r yt2n1�.�1tfIJ4
using traps - mt
with • acetone - o .ndtvtduul ° o urs . inwolves:
which is found in the breathe oi', ' me lief y lab w� Cates avert
cattle and appeals to the is tse fly into- ate' ►t tl ng,., sa
have reduced the ': �e-t fly rip u a r� , !�4e ys; the air
e. . e,
lation by 99per cent" in some Wei containing thCodow is pile
says Sutcliffe ugh a• tube of . absorbent resin
Enter *h mvi Leda. it Cows.
---1 "11.°
t - . Sutc?i 'c .ends u 'bottl+ of`
°aetu�lly mem_ e�..legs, , a •
about four feet long aid` four` feet •smelly liauucl. • Omwhich be
high, covered in black felt They extracts various °.eemlcs. "Cow
-ate set in ,fields :near Alberta's. odours a extremely. eom ic) ate.
Athabasca river a' breeding roreti i . 1 ontain hiat> S of ,, ' fetor,
for the 1�kies cbeilcals.t.he sayY.
The seons me
may be .attractive to the flies, and tested Wil; file faits cogs a the
with • =bon.. dioxide, a *town field, became that would take,' too
attractant The flies lured into a `long and be .too expensive T
trap opening .on .the honor of 'the
..,narrow .the field, Sutcliffe screens
baited ' with different odours that Not all ' the chemicals can, l
faire cow's stomach and are corm flies in lab for "` Si ivitie to'
t� ted:: � _ .�
tater. 'Sutcliffe then compares• the coin nt cheru�►iCats.
th �
.. 0 , uli is ' • i.� — a:7i3 .a
drawing power of each odour, A,.�„pl� ". sur. ne.enn gi
p n an'.insect's antenna,"ruler waft each
The taps' are very efectxve, tie odor dye" the: y, •',d bilk for
s. "Once h
*WS'.Y
a !� ,9PP Q st,, f l• n! rt
n n.r�;a fir.. :b a.4,y�',,
el 'f. t Cs, .i
ii . r
t
ill . �Y � - p
fnl.. that he w' find aro-.
:fit that c be used against;bl k
' .
A. big a hurdle might •in.
trYilig to apply au at .effee
tively$
'4QThe's such large nut of
sen t tthat.trapping ein
might be fie, taking a bucket of
' water out+af a swirnmin .p l! he .
says. i t i a'acid,. rather than
a whole area, might be more r is
lies -
$11tchffe ,is ° saist by'professor
McKeown of tb on taro Vet*,
er nary . College= and , .foe
She bi :; , re ;welt ',scienter,
;e'• Cana • .,
ndiu ts' vided bythe
. 11 emotion, a private,
fund t ply ;veterinary medi-"
Cat w res h �. (Canadian Science
say we caug .k between µ
•
1No f�� aces ;can
reduce sod- Io 9O 95%R
(Source: '• " urs+ c I,ccr
Department • :of nvironmental-
Biolop� University of `01 9
•, . CtYT AJ
Aumers d
com se only
population. An average
foga. is 192 acres,
operated by 3 faint, ' !
Has a net lop* of ,lt
$15000. Oakum "198
li
ttilatStaUsticsfor
►tario fate tlu
u r by 17,4% between
1988. 'M gc � of OMY
e,s_2
this' furthe
2. (S�.
pestle
M
Norther corn rootworm is
becoming an increasing problem in
Eastern Ontario. A tillage and rota-
tion trial conducted by Dr. John.
Olney of Ag Canada at Gordon and
Bruce Hill's farm near BalTba`ven,
provided a good example of how
crop rotation can control rootworm
damage.
One plot was corn after corn, the
other was corn .after soybeans.
Eighty per cent of the corn in the
continuous corn plot lodged com-
pared to five per cent in the corn
after soybeans plot. The corn after
soybeans yielded 12% ' more than
the continuous corn. The plots were
hand harvested and had they been
combined the yield difference
would have been much greater.
Corn rootworms damage corn by
pruning the root system on . the
plant. The larval stage of the insect
feeds on the roots in July. This
reduces yield by reducing nutrient
uptake and increasing lodging.
Adult beetles lay. egg in corn
fields. The larvae that hatch and
feed in the following season can
only survive on corn roots. There-
fore,
herfore, rotation out of cora for one
season will control . the problem.
Otherwise, an insecticide may be
necessary.
ter. .I .
THE M:OSTcLETEIJNE
OF MEDIUM AND HEAVY
TRUCK PARTS IN ONTARIO.
Effective March 4, 199'1
Wia:)
Wheel and Rim
I�!
have joined with
London Brake & Stewing
10 Victoria St., N.
WALKERTON
881-2560 1-80Q-265-117
d