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Show By Bob Murdock FRIENDLY INSECTS Insects may be our friends rather rath-er than enemies, reminds Dr-George Dr-George F. Knowlton, Utah State Agricultural College extension entomologist. en-tomologist. The western grape leaf skeleton-izer skeleton-izer has for years been a hard-to-control pest among grapes in some Washington County areas. In 1954 and spring of 1955, the maggots of a tachinid fly, apparently appar-ently now well established in the "Dixie" area of Utah, cleaned out skeletonizer caterpillars so completely com-pletely that a "worm" could rarely rare-ly be found. This has been a fine thing for the grape growers of the area about St. George, Dr. Knowl-j ton says. Ladybird beetles, damsel bugs, aphid lions, big eyed bugs, syr-phid syr-phid fly maggots and several other kinds of insects help us by feeding on aphids, he adds. "When abundant, these predators preda-tors may largely control aphids. But if the spring is cool and showers show-ers are frequent, aphids may get ahead of the predators. Under such conditions we may have to use insecticides. These may kill beneficial as well as injurious insects. in-sects. This we must regret. "By learning to live with, and' to cooperate with beneficial insects, in-sects, we get definite benefits. This is the case where alfalfa seed growers secure control of insect pests, yet carefully avoid killing honey bees and wild bees which i must be depended upon to cross I pollinate the seed crop," Dr. j Knowlton points out. |