WHERE HAVE ALL THE “ITCHY” PHONE CALLS GONE?!!!

by Karen M. Vail

About this time of year, we are often consulted about unexplained itches. This year is an exception, at least in my office. I believe the higher humidity this past month has kept the skin from drying and has reduced the number of “itchy” calls. Don’t relax just yet, once the humidity drops, I ‘m sure the phone will start ringing.

Because the cause of itches cannot be seen in many cases, folks conclude that insects are responsible and apply an insecticide. Unfortunately, insecticides seldom work in these situations and they may even cause further irritation and additional health problems.

There are many possible causes of itches and irritations other than pests. Allergies, cosmetics, medications and environmental contaminants all can result in reactions similar to insect bites. While this makes the experience no less real or unpleasant for the affected individual, it emphasizes the importance of keeping an open mind to the possibility of non-insect causes of such reactions. You should attempt to rule out all potential sources of irritation through the process of elimination.

I often see an increase in calls pertaining to itches in August and the winter months of the year. I assume it is due to a decrease in humidity causing the skin to dry and itch. Coarse fibers from carpets and upholstery are other common causal agents, as are small shards of paper that are electrically charged.

As you handle these cases, remember, we are not health care professionals and any dermatitis should be referred to a doctor or other health care professional. UT Extension entomologists are not health care professionals. Therefore, our labs do not accept body fluids, scabs, blood products or any substance originating from the body, including clothing or products that may have come in contact with these substances, for identification. These types of products should be sent to a health care professional. If they isolate and preserve an insect, we will then aid in the identification process.

If a person believes that insects are too small to be seen crawling over his or her skin, strips of clear cellophane tape may be patted over the affected area as the "crawling" sensation is occurring. Most small biting arthropods move slowly and will stick to the tape if present. Tape samples should be carefully attached to a white index card so as not to crush any specimens and labeled to indicate from where they were collected. Glue boards can also be placed against edges of surfaces where insects are suspected.

The following can be used as a checklist to aid clients in determining the cause of an itch:

I. Obscure Biting Arthropods (Many of these pests are large enough to be seen without magnification except those indicated with a *. One should also consider the possibility of delayed irritation such as from bites obtained while outdoors.)

• mites

bird and rodent - (tiny, dark specks that moves)

scabies* (burrows into the skin - fingers, elbow, knee, and shoulder blades)

• lice (head and other hairy areas of the body)

• fleas (usually bite people around the ankles)

• chiggers' * (constriction between skin and clothing - ankles, knee, or waistline.

• biting midges/mosquitoes

• ticks

• bedbugs (1/4 inch, oval, flattened bugs which are becoming more abundant, bites resemble a mosquito bite and often are in areas of the body that were exposed during sleeping)

• hairs from stinging caterpillars

II. Household Products

• detergents (especially phosphate-based)

• soaps

• cosmetics/hair products

• ammonia-based cleaners

• medications

• printing inks (e.g., carbonless)

• clothing (especially fire retardant)

III. Environmental Factors

A. Physical irritants

• paper, fabric, or insulation fibers

• low humidity

• seasonal changes in temperature

• static electricity

B. Chemical irritants

• formaldehyde (e.g., from particle board, wall and floor

• coverings

• ammonia

• solvents/resins associated with paints and adhesives

• tobacco smoke

• volatiles from asphalt and tar installation

IV. Health-Related Conditions

• pregnancy

• communicable diseases (e.g., chicken pox, measles)

• stress (home or work)

• diabetes, liver, or kidney disorders

• food allergies

• insect phobias

Ekbom syndrome, previously referred to as delusory parasitosis, is a more serious emotional disorder characterized by an irrational fear that living organisms are infesting a person's body. These cases often have similar symptoms and patterns of behavior. Patients typically report "insects" invading their ears, nose, eyes, and other areas of their body. These "creatures" frequently disappear and reappear, but can’t be caught, and change colors while being observed. Specimens brought in for identification usually consist of bits of dead skin, hair, lint and miscellaneous debris. The skin of the individual is often severely irritated and sometimes infected from desperate scratching, excessive bathing and application of ointments. While these occurrences may seem bizarre to persons who are not affected, they are frighteningly real to the patient. Ekbom syndrome, as well as other suspected emotional or medical conditions, should be brought to the attention of a physician.

We hope to develop an UT publication on itches, but until we do, I have found it helpful to refer clients to Mike Potter’s publication, Invisible Itches: Insect and Non-Insect Causes (http://www.ca.uky.edu/agc/pubs/ent/ent58/ent58.pdf).

Modified from:

Public Health Pest Management a Training Guide by Michael F. Potter and G. Mark Beavers. 6/95. University of Kentucky,

Invisible Itches: Insect and Non-Insect Causes by Mike Potter http://www.ca.uky.edu/agc/pubs/ent/ent58/ent58.pdf

SOYBEAN RUST UPDATE

by Melvin Newman

Although soybean rust has not yet been found on soybeans or kudzu anywhere in Tennessee (TN), it is very possible that spores have been deposited over much of TN due to the recent wind and rain from the hurricane Katrina. The National commentary (updated 08/31/05 at the web site http://www.sbrusa.net) lists many counties in Georgia (GA) where soybean rust has been found. Oconee Co. in Ga (near Athens GA) is the furthest northern location in 2005 where soybean rust has been found. Hampton Co. in South Carolina (SC) is the furthest east that soybean rust has been found. Pearl River Co. in Mississippi (MS) is the furthest west that rust has been found in MS. Alabama (AL) now has 12 counties, FL has 21 counties, GA has 14, MS has two and SC has one county with positive ID for soybean rust.

Most early planted, early maturing soybean varieties are now passed the point were soybean rust could cause significant yield loss. However, later planted and/or late maturing varieties may still be at risk. But,

even if soybean rust spores have been deposited over TN, it might take another 2-3 weeks before actual rust infections can be found. It is generally considered that once soybeans have reached the growth stage R-6

very little yield loss will occur even if soybean rust is found at low levels in producers' fields. In addition, several fungicide labels limit the application at the R-6 growth stage.

Producers will have to weigh the possibility of a late rust infection with the growth stage of their soybeans, the yield potential and their ability to spray their fields.

If producers decide to spray, it is still a good option to spray a combination fungicide that has both a triazole and a strobilurin class fungicide in it, to prevent both soybean rust and also reduce late season diseases such as brown spot, anthracnose and frogeye leaf spot.

UT Extension will continue to monitor several sentinel plot areas and spore traps. If soybean rust is found we will let you know ASAP.

LARGE CATERPILLAR IDENTIFICATION

by Karen M. Vail

As in past years, I’ve been receiving some pretty scary descriptions of large caterpillars and often the characters described do not fit any one of the moths known to occur in Tennessee. I have therefore found it useful to refer these callers to the Moths of Tennessee web page (http://www.npwrc.usgs.gov/resource/distr/lepid/moths/tn/toc.htm) of the USGS Northern Prairie Biological Resources web site (http://www.npwrc.usgs.gov/resource/resource.htm). Sixteen of the 17 saturniid moths listed have color photos. As you peruse the individual moth web pages, information on wing span, identification, life history, flight times, caterpillar hosts, adult food, habitat, range, conservation, the Nature Conservancy Global Rank, management needs, and references is provided, as well as links to more photos and the Caterpillars of Eastern Forests (CEF) web site http://www.npwrc.usgs.gov/resource/2000/cateast/cateast.htm The CEF web site lists the following subjects and links which your clients may also find useful: life cycle, morphology, collecting caterpillars, collecting eggs, verifying identification, rearing caterpillars, preserving specimens, photographing caterpillars, species descriptions, families of caterpillars, glossary, acknowledgments and helpful literature on caterpillars.

If you don’t know where to start with an identification, try the Moths of North America page (http://www.npwrc.usgs.gov/resource/distr/lepid/moths/mothsusa.htm) and scroll through the thumbnail pictures (http://www.npwrc.usgs.gov/resource/distr/lepid/moths/thumb/thumb.htm).

BUTTERFLIES OF TENNESSEE TOO!

by Karen M. Vail

While we are on the subject of Lepidoptera, I thought I’d share another web site. The Butterflies of North America web page (http://www.npwrc.usgs.gov/resource/distr/lepid/bflyusa/bflyusa.htm) provides many of the same options as the moth pages. From here you can choose thumbnail images to browse, checklists by county or state, and other options. For example, a list and accompanying images of butterflies of Tennessee can be found at http://www.npwrc.usgs.gov/resource/distr/lepid/bflyusa/tn/toc.htm

WHERE IN THE WORLD (WWW) DO I FIND THAT . . .?

by Beth Long

Insect, plant and plant disease images are getting more plentiful on the web, but they can still be hard to find if you are doing a basic search using one of the commercial search engines. Some of the sites that I have found to be most helpful are listed below as a starting place for image searches. Have fun with the search . . .

University of Tennessee Herbarium

http://tenn.bio.utk.edu/index.html

Site has images of bryophytes, fungi and vascular plants.

University of Georgia Bugwood Network

http://www.bugwood.org/

Site has images of insects, diseases, weeds, invasive pests, and IPM and biocontrol links and images.

PestTracker

http://www.ceris.purdue.edu/napis/

USDA APHIS agricultural pest tracking site with images and fact sheets on insects, pathogens, weeds and biocontrol information.

Entomological Society of America

http://www.entsoc.org/resources/index.htm

This site has Entomological information, FAQ’s and links to sites with insect images.

The American Phytopathological Society

http://www.apsnet.org/online/

This site has Plant Disease information and images.

National Biological Information Infrastructure (NBII)

http://www.nbii.gov/index.html

This site has an image library and online resources that emphasize the teaching of biology, biodiversity and ecology. Included are activities, lesson plans, experiments, projects, resources and references for classroom and home use.

Invasive Pests of the United States: Identification and Control

http://www.invasive.org/eastern/

This site has images of aquatic, ferns, forbs, grasses, shrubs, trees, and vine invasive species.

Plant diagnostic information system

http://www.pdis.org/ImageLibrary/ImageSearch.aspx

This site has images of diseases, insects and weeds.

USDA APHIS Federal Invasive Species

http://invasivespecies.gov/

This site has descriptions and photos of diseases, (some) insects, plants and animals.

The Nature Conservancy

http://tncweeds.ucdavis.edu/

This site has images of weeds, plants, animal and pathogens, non-plant invasives and forest insects. It also has a great listing of national and international web sites.

GRAIN STORAGE BINS

by Russ Patrick

Storage: Corn harvest is beginning in several areas or about to begin in others. As usual we should clean out the bins of any old grain prior to binning new grain. It is easier to control insects in corn than wheat if you only follow the SLAM rule. Sanitation, Loading, Aeration and Monitoring along with treating the bin with Tempo SC Ultra or any other formulation you can find. This is important to kill insects present in the bin before storage of new grain. However, if you choose you can use Actellic 4E at 800 bucks a gallon translating to about 17 cents a bushel. At least follow the above recommendations. Cooling the grain and keeping it dry will go a long way to preventing insect and mold problems during the storage period. I wish we still had chloropicrin as a fumigant but it cannot be acquired in small containers any longer. We should have a good yield in corn this time so at least protect it until you can put it on the market.

FIELD CROP UPDATE

by Russ Patrick

Soybeans:

Stinkbugs, three cornered alfalfa hoppers and some Dectes, are being reported. Steve Glass in Decatur County reported numerous stinkbugs(mostly Greens) in several fields. I expect this is true for many areas. When they reach threshold, treatment should be made. Remember the Stinkbugs can cause damage to pods that are filling and attempts should be made to control them. Scout your fields now and determine if the limits have been reached. There is no need to lose yield or quality from Stinkbugs.

Disclaimer Statement

Pesticides recommended in this publication were registered for the prescribed uses when printed. Pesticide regulations

are continuously reviewed. Should registration or a recommended pesticide be canceled, it would

no longer be recommended by the University of Tennessee.

Use of trade or brand names in this publication is for clarity and information; it does not imply approval of the

product to the exclusion of others that may be of similar, suitable composition, nor does it guarantee or

warrant the standard of the product.

Precautionary Statement

To protect people and the environment, pesticides should be used safely. This is everyone’s responsibility,

especially the user. Read and follow label directions carefully before you mix, apply store or dispose of a pesticide. According to laws regulating pesticides, they must be used only as directed by the label.

Persons who do not obey the law will be subject to penalties.

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