- Author: Kathy Keatley Garvey
What are you having for Thanksgiving?
Turkey and all the trimmings?
Well, this little jumping spider had his sights set on ambushing a delicious syrphid fly.
Here's the scenario: The syrphid fly, a pollinator, hovers over a zinnia, sees no danger (the spider is tucked beneath a petal) and touches down. Ms. Fly slurps the nectar--ooh, that's good--and circles the blossom for more.
Ms. Fly, so busy slurping, is unaware that danger lurks with eight legs, excellent acuity and powerful leg muscles.
In a flash, Mr. Jumping Spider leaps.
Missed!
No meal today for Mr. Jumping Spider. Another day for Ms. Fly.
- Author: Steven Swain
- Author: Karey Windbiel-Rojas
[From the July 2015 issue of the UC IPM Retail Nursery and Garden Center IPM News]
What are Pantry Pests?
Beetles and moths are the two most common groups of pantry pest insects encountered in California. The most common pantry moth is the Indian meal moth. Adults are small (about 1/3 inch), with characteristically broad-banded
Several species of beetles feed on stored food products, including the warehouse beetle, sawtoothed grain beetle (Figure 2), and the drugstore beetle, just to name a few.
While adult pantry beetles and moths are easy to tell apart, it is often the larvae that are found in the grain or flour; and these can be challenging to distinguish. Beetle larvae (Figure 3) are either grublike and legless or have three distinct pairs of legs, all located near the head. Moth larvae (Figure 4)
Damage
Pantry pests consume food but also can contaminate food with their bodies and by-products. Indian meal moth larvae produce frass (excrement) and webbing, and some beetle larvae produce secretions that give food a disagreeable odor and taste, or microbes that can produce carcinogenic compounds. Warehouse beetles have setae (hairs) that can irritate the mouth, throat, and stomach of people who eat infested products.
The keys to controlling these pests in the home are prevention and sanitation. Some important considerations include:
- Inspect newly-purchased grain products (including bird seed and dried pet food), nuts, dried fruits, potato chips, spices, and other foods of plant origin for signs of infestation.
- Seal any infested products in a plastic bag and dispose of them in an outside trash receptacle.
- Transfer pest-free products to hard-walled containers (glass, metal, hard plastic) that can be tightly sealed. Plastic bags aren't adequate, as they develop tiny holes over time and because they can't always be reliably sealed.
- Vacuum up any spilled products within food storage areas, including any crumbs or debris in shelving cracks and crevices or beneath shelf paper. Follow this up with a good wipe-down with soapy water.
Some pantry pests can survive on other items in the house; if the infestation persists despite cleaning up the kitchen areas, consider inspecting the rest of the house. Art made of grain, nuts, or seeds; woolen articles; stored furs; animal skins; rodent droppings; and even uncontained aspirin or other pharmaceuticals can be used as a food source by some pests. Others can survive on dead insects, so wall voids and attic spaces may have to be checked as well.
Use traps to monitor
Many home improvement stores and retail garden centers sell pheromone traps which can be used to monitor for pantry pests and to help in managing pest outbreaks. Using traps alone, however, will not successfully control pantry pests if the measures above have not been taken to clean up and prevent pest invasion and reintroduction. Also, pheromone traps are pest-specific, so identify pests first, read labels carefully, and be certain you are steering customers to the right trap. Place the traps within or near the previously-infested area and to check them weekly. Most traps remain effective for about three months. Newly trapped insects are a sign that stored foods may be infested and should be inspected or that hidden pupating larvae from a previous infestation have emerged as adults.
Find information on identifying, preventing, and managing pantry pests on the UC IPM website at www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn7452.html.
/span>- Author: Pam Devine
She loves to make soup-especially cream of yesterday.—Milton Berle
Suddenly, as I ride my bike to work in the morning, I’m not wearing my capris and sandals, I’m wearing pants, shoes and a jacket—sometimes even gloves! The scarf and ear muffs are not long behind—we have definitely hit fall in northern California!
And fall makes me want to cook comfort food, and what’s more comforting than soup. Not only is soup easy to make, nutritious, delicious, filling and thrifty, you can hide, I mean use, lots of veggies, even some leftovers. Soup is very forgiving. If you add too many ingredients, it just becomes stew!
What’s more elementary than putting a bunch of ingredients in a pot and covering it with some kind of liquid? Nothing, and that’s why soup has been around as long as there was some kind of vessel to make it in. Soup developed regional differences because of what was available where you lived, but it was always a hearty meal and easily digested. Enjoyed across cultures, classes and varying degrees of health, soup remains a classic meal.
Soup is so accessible and inexpensive, it is often used in successful fundraising activities. Across the country “Bowls for Charity” or “Empty Bowl” fundraisers have become popular for, what else, soup kitchens. The concept was initiatied in 1990 when a group of Michigan High School students made ceramic bowls to fill with soup for a food drive. It was so popular, it blossomed into a nationwide fundraiser, focusing on ending hunger. Generally, participants purchase a ticket, choose a handmade bowl, and enjoy a simple meal of soup (often donated by local restaurants), bread and water. The mission of the fundraiser is to remind people that many people have empty bowls, with no food to feed their families. In Yolo County, we have the Empty Bowls luncheon, hosted by the Yolo Wayfarer Center in October; here in Davis we have the annual Souper Bowl in February, hosted by the Davis Co-op, with proceeds going to the Elderly Nutrition Program.
So what’s a good soup to make and share? Well, it could be something thick and hearty like this highly rated Split Pea soup recipe from allrecipes.com:
Split Pea Soup
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In a large stock pot, cover peas with 2 quarts cold water and soak overnight. If you need a faster method, simmer the peas gently for 2 minutes, and then soak for l hour.
Once peas are soaked, add ham bone, onion, salt, pepper and marjoram. Cover, bring to boil and then simmer for 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally.
Remove bone; cut off meat, dice and return meat to soup. Add celery, carrots and potatoes. Cook slowly, uncovered for 30 to 40 minutes or until vegetables are tender.
Or something a little more exotic, but still simple, from epicurious.com, like:
Ginger Scallion Egg-Drop Soup
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Smash 3 scallions and cut into 2-inch pieces, then put in a 2-quart saucepan with water, broth, ginger, and 3/4 teaspoon salt. Bring to a simmer, and then poach chicken at a bare simmer, uncovered, until just cooked through, 12 to 15 minutes. Transfer chicken to a cutting board and let broth steep, covered, 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, chop remaining 3 scallions and shred chicken.
Discard scallions and ginger from broth and bring to a brisk simmer. Add beaten eggs in a slow stream, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and stir in scallions, chicken, and white pepper (if using). Serve drizzled with sesame oil.
Or one of my favorite quick and healthy go-to weeknight soups:
Fish Stew
- 1 diced onion
- 3 diced white, red or yellow potatoes
- 2 cups chopped celery
- 3 cups water
- 1 pound diced white fish
- ½ lb. shrimp or scallops (or another ½ lb. white fish)
- 2 cups chopped broccoli
- 2 cups chopped cauliflower
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed dried marjoram
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed dried basil
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 cups milk (I use skim, and it’s fine, but it would be richer if you used 2% milk)
In a large, deep skillet, boil onion, celery and potatoes in water for 10 minutes. Add flounder, broccoli, cauliflower, salt, pepper, marjoram and basil.
In a separate bowl, mix flour with milk and slowly add to soup mixture while stirring continuously. Reduce heat and simmer for about 15 minutes. Add shrimp and/or scallops; cook 3-5 minutes more.