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About Polk County itemizer observer. (Dallas, Or) 1992-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 27, 2017)
Polk County Social 10A Polk County Itemizer-Observer • September 27, 2017 Control root weevils with nematodes R hododendrons say spring as loudly as football says fall. Both have fervent fans and enemies staring them down. The teams that feed on rhododendrons — called black root weevils — are tiny compared to the hel- meted players at each end of a football field, but the damage they do aggravates gardeners who can’t figure out a good defense. Wouldn’t you know it, rhododendrons are a fa- vored target of black vine root weevils. However, there are several weevil pests, including strawberry root weevils. All are beetles with root-feeding larvae and leaf-eating adults. Most weevils emerge from the soil from late May through the end of June, according to Robin Rosetta, an entomologist with Ore- gon State University Exten- sion Service. The C-shaped larvae are legless, white with tan heads and up to a ½-inch long. During the day, the red- dish-brown to black beetles hide themselves under the moist mulch or debris around the base of plants. At night, the hungry adults climb up and start chewing on the leaves of rhododen- drons and other woody or- namentals, leaving notice- able notches along the K YM P OKORNY These Polk County groups would welcome individuals who have time or expertise to volunteer. Organizations that would like to be added to this list should call 503-623- 2373 or email IOnews@polkio.com. Your Garden margins. Though they can’t fly and move slowly, adult root weevils walk easily through a landscape, finding new victims as they go. All adult beetles are females, which lay eggs in clusters in or on the soil from June to Sep- tember. After hatching, the larvae immediately wriggle through the soil to begin feeding on roots. They spend winter months in the soil and continue to devel- op in the spring as the soil warms. The larvae pupate and then emerge as adults in late spring and start the cycle again. One way to check for root weevils is to examine woody plants for fresh notches on leaf edges, evi- dence of adult feeding damage, especially in ten- der new leaves. The notch- ing usually begins at the base of the plant and moves upward during the s u m m e r, a c c o rd i n g t o Rosetta. It is the root-feeding lar- vae that do most of the damage, often girdling plants at the base of the https://flic.kr/p/YBT76 Notching on rhododendrons most likely points to root weevils. trunk, which can lead to death. The least toxic method to control weevils is to treat them in the larval stage, using beneficial nema- todes, Rosetta said. There are two optimal timings, one in the late spring to early summer targeting late-stage larvae, pupae, and adult weevils prior to emergence. For spring con- trol, soil temperatures need to around 55 degrees or above. Some springs, like the last one, are too cold for effective control. A more reliable time is at the end of summer, August through early October, when soil temperatures are warm and the nematodes target young weevil larvae. The nematodes do not usu- ally last through the winter. “But the good news is that if you do a thorough job of control, you proba- bly won’t have your weevil pests back, at least for a few years,” she said. The one advantage we have with root weevils is that they do not fly as adults. We can clean up an area and then diligently guard our bor- ders for intruders.” MI TOWN Miss Autumn arrived a bit before her calendar date of Sept. 22 this year, bringing a definite change in the weather, with cooler morn- ings and evenings, as well as shorter periods of daylight. It’s that time of year when we begin to ponder when to close windows, turn on the heat or throw a log in the fireplace. It’s also getting closer to the date when we change from crisp cotton sheets on the bed to deep and snuggly flannel ones. — The recent rains have helped considerably, but the devastating and destructive forest fires in Oregon — es- pecially those along the Co- lumbia River Gorge and near Brookings — serve to remind us that even though the calendar says summer is over, the dangers still defi- P ATTY T AYLOR D UTCHER Columnist nitely are there and will be for quite some time. Despite our best efforts at preven- tion, fire can destroy our homes and our lives. This is a reminder that we all need to check the batteries in our smoke detectors — and get detectors installed if we don’t have them already. They are available at reason- able cost in our local stores. — I’m practically a cheer- leader for believing in spending money in our communities and in Polk County, but this time I’m en- couraging everyone to do something different. There are businesses in Cascade Locks and Corbett, and all through that area that have seen their sales drop dra- matically because of the for- est fires and closures of the Old Columbia River High- way and I-84. Why not take a road trip to the Columbia River Gorge before the win- ter rains and snows begin and find something to buy in the local stores, or stop in for lunch or dinner at some of the restaurants along the way. The firefighters worked so hard to save beautiful Multnomah Falls, and this is a perfect time of year to visit. — We’re so fortunate to have Western Oregon University right here in MI Town, and to be able to interact with students of all ages on a daily basis. However, it’s very easy to stay within our com- fortable routines and habits, and not take the opportuni- ty to find out more about ideas and attitudes different than those with which we’ve become more familiar. Thursday the Monmouth Public Library will host a free public event at 6 p.m., where we can learn more about how to engage in meaningful conversations and interactions with those from other generations. Jen- nifer Sasser and Simeon Dreyfuss will lead a discus- sion on aging and intergen- erational friendship as well as other related topics. Please contact Krist Obrist at 503-751-0193 or email at kobrist@ci.monmouth.or.us for more information about what promises to be a great evening. PEDEE NEWS Fred and Cindy Clark had a good visit with Cindy’s mother, Norma, a week ago. Cindy picked her up in Sacramento where she lives and they arrived in Pedee after a very dark, very smoky trip on highways 97 and 58. They stopped In Dorris to visit Norma’s grandson, his wife, and 110- month-old son and see the ranch they live on. Norma, 90, had broken her hip a year ago, but with the aid of a walker kept up with Cindy and Karen Porter when they went to Newport, where they had lunch and enjoyed great weather while shop- A RLENE K OVASH Columnist ping on the Bay Front. — Paul and Diane Telfer flew home on Friday after serving meals with the Red Cross in the Everglades on the Gulf Coast near Ever- glades City. That area had finally gotten electricity back after being out for over a week and a half. Still VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES many people without power and then, of course ,many, many people lost their homes entirely. — The McBeth/Burbank 47th annual reunion was at the Pedee Women’s Club on Sept. 16. The almost 40 peo- ple attending were glad to see Dorothy and wish her a happy 97th birthday, which was on the 20th. — Darrell and Shirley Mc- Beth invite friends and fam- ily to celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary with them at an open house on Oct. 21, 2 to 5 p.m, at the Women’s Club. They were married at Pedee Church on Oct. 21, 1967. Darrell lived in Pedee all his life, and Shirley was from Falls City. — Last Thursday night, friends and family celebrat- ed Heidi Russell’s birthday at the Pedee Church week- ly potluck. Heidi was so happy that her parents, Jon and Linda Hovet, from Creswell, and her brother Isaac and two of his chil- dren, Owen and Ava, of Salem, were able to come. I won’t say how old she is, but she’s still very young yet, from my perspective. Don’t Miss News As It Happens! Beginning October 2 the Itemizer-Observer will offer its Online Subscription at $20 per year! Subscribers to the Itemizer-Observer newspaper will receive FREE ONLINE ACCESS at no additional cost. To subscribe, please call us at 503-623-2373 Itemizer-Observer 147 SE Court St, Dallas • www.polkio.com • AARP Foundation Tax-Aide – 503-930-7636 • After DARC — 503-623-9501 • American Cancer Society Road to Recovery — 1-800-227-2345 • Arc of Polk County — 541-223-3261 • Ash Creek Arts Center – 971-599-3301 • Court-Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) of Polk County Inc. — 503-623-8473 • Central School District — 503-838-0030 • City of Dallas — 503-831-3502 • City of Independence — 503-838-1212 • City of Monmouth — 503-751-0145 • Crime Victims Assistance Program — 503-623-9268 • Dallas Area Chamber of Commerce — 503-623-2564 • Dallas Fire Department — 503-831-3532 • Dallas Food Bank — 503-623-3578 • Dallas Kids, Inc. — 503-623-6419 • Dallas Police Department — 503-831-3582 • Dallas Public Library — 503-623-2633 • Dallas Retirement Village — 503-623-5581 • Dallas School District — 503-623-5594 • Delbert Hunter Arboretum — 503-623-7359 • Ella Curran Food Bank — 503-838-1276 • Falls City Arts Center — 503-559-6291 • Falls City School District — 503-787-3531 • Family Building Blocks – 503-566-2132, ext. 308. • Friends of the Dallas Library — 503-559-3830 • Gentle House Gardens, Monmouth — 503-838-2995 • Girl Scouts of Southwest Washington and Oregon — 1-800-338-5248 • H-2-O — 503-831-4736 HART (Horses Adaptive Riding and Therapy) — 971-301-4278 • HandsOn Mid-Willamette Valley — 503-363-1651 • Heron Pointe Assisted Living — 503-838-6850 • Independence Health and Rehabilitation — 503-838-0001 • Independence Public Library — 503-838-1811 • Kings Valley Charter School — 541-929-2134 • Luckiamute Watershed Council — 503-837-0237 • Luckiamute Valley Charter School — 503-623-4837 • Meals on Wheels — 503-838-2084 • Monmouth-Independence Chamber of Commerce — 503-838-4268 • Monmouth-Independence YMCA — 503-838-4042 • Monmouth Public Library — 503-838-1932 • Northwest Human Services — 503-588-5828 • Oregon Child Development Coalition — 503-838-2745 • OSU Extension Service - Polk County — 503-623-8395 • Perrydale School District — 503-623-2040 • Polk Community Development Corporation — 503-831-3173 • Polk County Community Emergency Response Team — 503-623-9396 • Polk County Museum — 503-623-6251 • Polk County Public Health — 503-623-8175 • Polk County Resource Center — 503-623-8429 • Polk Soil and Water Conservation District — 503-623-9680 • Relief Nursery Classroom — 503-566-2132 • SABLE House — 503-623-6703 • SALT (Sheriff’s Auxiliary & Law Enforcement Together) — 503-851-9366 • Salvation Army — 503-798-4783 • SMART (Start Making A Reader Today) — 503-391-8423 • Salem Health West Valley Hospital — 503-623-8301 • Victim Assistance Program-Polk Co. District Attorney’s Office — 503-623-9268 x1444 • Willamette Valley Hospice — 503-588-3600 • WIMPEG Community Access Television — 503-837-0163 COMMUNITY CALENDAR Continued from page 9A — WEDNESDAY, OCT. 4 • Yarning for Others — 3 to 5 p.m., St. Thomas Episcopal Church, 1486 SW Levens St., Dallas. Knitters and crocheters gather to make clothing and accessories for those in need on the first Wednesday of every month. 503-689-7222. • Pickleball — 9 a.m. to noon, Roger Jordan Community Park. Meets on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 9 a.m. to noon. Karen Freeman, 503-871-4172.
