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About Vernonia's voice. (Vernonia, OR) 2007-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 20, 2022)
8 October 20 In Other Words 2022 Diggin’ in the Dirt: Living with Insects By Chip Bubl Oregon State University Extension Service – Columbia County The OSU Extension Office is fully reopened. The best way to reach me directly is with the email below but calls are always welcome. Columbia County Beekeepers Event: Thursday, Novem- ber 3 at 6:00 pm The CCOB will host a hybrid meeting on Zoom and in person at the OSU Extension Office in St. Helens. For information about joining by Zoom, email Co- lumbiaCountyOregonBeekeepers@gmail.com. Insects heading inside Fall weather hasn’t started as of this writing. It is very strange, with almost no rain in October. But, as they say, the worm can turn fast. Many years ago, I was living in the coast range west of Corvallis and we had a very warm fall (some near 90 degree temperatures) but when it broke, it broke badly with 20 days of solid, pounding rain. So we shall see what happens when the atmospheric barrier breaks down. However, one thing is certain. As we get cooler nights, some insects start looking for places to snuggle in. They think this is a good idea. It isn’t, both for them and you. For most of them, they will not be able to find their way out in the spring and they will die. A friend of mine was once remodeling a house and planned on adding insulation to the 80+ year old house. He didn’t think he had any insulation in a house that old. But as he removed some of the exte- rior siding, he was astonished. The wall void was packed full of the bodies of box elder bugs, cluster flies, and other insects that had made the wrong life choices over the last 80 years. He did remove them but also wondered whether he really needed to since they probably provided significant insulation. Anyway, outdoor insects like box elder bugs spend their spring and summer with the maple trees they feed on or, in the case of cluster flies, the earthworms they lay their eggs in. We do know that box elder bugs do like to winter in the deep bark furrows of Douglas fir trees. Before Europeans got here, they probably did “winter-in” with the indig- enous population to grab a little warmth in their structures. The best defense is caulk, lots of it. The tiny gaps around window and door frames are common entry points for them to wriggle through. Also vulnerable are roof venti- lation hardware and spaces around chimneys. Anything you can caulk will reduce the population of box elder bugs and the many other insects that look for comfort inside. You still have some time. Some other insects you may see include some tiny bee- tles that feed on pollen and tender plant parts and move in when they dry up; the brown marmorated stink bug which is making a resurgence but I am not sure if it ever got to Vernonia in the last build-up; the Asian multicolored lady beetle; pregnant overwintering wasp and yellow jacket queens (rather upset if they wake up and can’t find their way out); wood-boring insects if you are bringing in firewood; earwigs; and carpet beetles. Some non-insect winter living partners are centipedes and millipedes; and spiders. Most mean you no harm and most don’t do real damage. Pantry pests, which we will get to in another article, are more complicated and can be a real problem. For all, the best way to keep them out is not insecticide sprays but tight entrances to your home. On newer houses, TyVec and similar moisture and heat barriers do make a dif- ference on insect numbers. Finally, to answer one question that has kept more than a few clients awake at night: Do box elder bugs mate in the house? The answer is, no, they don’t. They save that for the great outside (assuming they can find their way out). Manure in the garden There is a controversy about how to use manure in the garden. The primary concern is the possible transmission of disease organisms, especially the O57 strain of E. coli. It is most common- ly found in cattle manure, and sometimes in manure from sheep or goats. A fairly recent Oregon experience with deer droppings on strawberries that were contaminated with hemorrhagic E. coli has reinforced the no- tion that fresh manure has potential health concerns. Deer fencing is important around edible crops. That said, manure has a long history of productive use on farms and in gardens. The trick is to reduce the potential exposure to pathogens. Work done down in the Salinas Valley in California indicates that in their condi- tions, manure worked into a field in the fall and planted the following spring would not be at risk for disease. We have somewhat different conditions in the winter with more rain- fall and cooler temperatures. Yet I think the results would probably be the same. If you plan to use manure in the gar- den, work it in during the fall before the rains start and ei- ther plant a cover crop or cover with a non-manure mulch to preserve surface soil tilth. This procedure matches with the organic requirements that the edible portion of a crop that has direct contact with soil (onions, carrots, beets, lettuce and other greens, etc.) should not have manure applied to its soil within 125 days of harvest. For other crops, the limita- tion is 90 days before harvest. I still am very concerned about the use of fresh manure tea during the growing season. Long-composted manure should be fine at any time. Take excess produce to the food bank, senior cen- ters, or community meals programs. Cash donations to buy food are also greatly appreciated. The Extension Service offers its programs and materi- als equally to all people. Contact information for the Extension office Oregon State University Extension Service – Columbia County 505 N. Columbia River Highway St. Helens, OR 97051 Phone: 503 397-3462 Email: chip.bubl@oregonstate.edu A Halloween Story: The Keasey Ghost By Dennis Nelson I had heard stories about the Keasey Ghost ever since marrying into the Keasey family. Eye witness accounts were pretty convincing, although contradictory. One said it was a child who died in infancy, known as the “The Dead Baby”. An- other claimed he was an ancestor killed long ago in a logging accident. Some said it was the overactive imagination of teenage girls. But who can say for sure? The Keasey house had sat empty and decaying for many years prior to my first visit and was indeed spooky. Little did I know that one day it would become my home. Years later, on my very first night alone in the old house, it was about 2:00 am, pitch dark, I couldn’t see a thing, and I couldn’t sleep. Unfamiliar sounds and the scurrying feet of mice had heightened my attention. The idea of ghosts didn’t seem so far-fetched under these circumstances. Then, to my horror, the door at the bottom of the stairway creaked open. The stair treads popped as someone, or something, ascended. Whatever it was entered the hall. The old floorboards cracked at ev- ery step. As it moved closer, the hair on the back of my neck stiffened. My heart was pounding. Then the door to my room squeaked open. I said to myself, “Prepare to meet the Keasey Ghost!” Then… And then… And then, the cat jumped upon my bed.
