FOR RELEASE THE WEEK OF JAN. 14, 2001:
Does dormant oil really help to control pests in the landscape?
Yes, this suffocating agent is an important control for many scale insects, aphids and spider mites in shrubs and in ornamental and fruit trees, says Craig Baird, University of Idaho extension entomologist.
"Dormant" indicates that the product should be used when the shrub or tree is dormant or at least not yet leafed out. Apply it before the plants get very far into the bud stage—never once leaves are present. Dormant spray will burn young leaves severely and can seriously damage trees.
Don’t use dormant oil spray on blue spruce, Baird cautions. "It changes the color of the needles and you then have green spruce—not a desirable thing if you like blue spruce."
Can I fill taco shells without heating them first—or do I need to bake or microwave them first to kill any potential germs?
Taco shells and tortillas are considered ready-to-eat foods, says Sandy McCurdy, University of Idaho extension food safety specialist. That means they’re adequately heated during the manufacturing process to kill foodborne pathogens.
However, some types of taco shells and tortillas taste much better when they’re heated. If the instructions recommend heating or baking, McCurdy suggests doing that. She also notes that the tortillas you find in refrigerated cases should be stored in the refrigerator at home as well, so that they stay fresh for as long as possible.
Last year I took some of those zinc lozenges when I felt a cold coming on. It helped a little bit. Are there other zinc products that might work even better?
According to Martha Raidl, University of Idaho extension nutrition specialist, zinc lozenges have been shown to decrease by three or four days the length of time a person suffers from cold symptoms. But a zinc-based nasal gel called Zicam works even better: in a scientific study, it shortened the duration of colds by up to seven days.
Zicam contains ionic zinc, which scientists think may prevent the cold virus from attaching to body cells. Subjects participating in the medical research took Zicam within 48 hours of the onset of cold symptoms and suffered for only 2.3 days. A control group that received a placebo had cold symptoms for nine days.
The study was published in the October 2000 issue of the Ear, Nose, and Throat Journal.
Our kids keep asking us for unnecessarily expensive things—like $100 tennis shoes. If we say no, they carry on like they’ll be social outcasts. Sometimes we’re tempted to give in to their desire to wear what their friends wear, but the costs really add up. Should we hold the line or ante up?
First of all, don’t let this frustrate you, says Harriet Shaklee, University of Idaho extension family development specialist. "People are paid very large salaries to persuade young people to want expensive goods they don’t need," she says. "So when the young people in your house want outrageous, over-priced things, those people are earning their salaries."
Shaklee calls this "one of those excellent opportunities" to discuss your family’s values and priorities with your children. "It couldn’t be more normal for kids to pick up the values around them," she says. "They need to hear yours as well as those of the clothing retailers."
Some parents have addressed this problem by telling their kids what they feel is appropriate to pay for the clothing item in question. If you think $40 is reasonable and your child wants an $80 item, you might insist that he or she earn the difference through household chores or part-time work. "They’ll learn that dollars are directly related to energy," she says.
But don’t allow your teen to spend more than 15 hours a week in paid employment. "That’s the point at which work starts to interfere with school life and with school achievement," Shaklee says. "Designer jeans are not worth jeopardizing school success. That’s not a tradeoff we want to encourage."
[READERS: Do you have a question about your home, yard or garden? Send it to HomeWise, University of Idaho Ag Communications, Moscow, ID 83844-2332 or e-mail it to homewise@uidaho.edu. Mention of proprietary products or firms does not constitute endorsement by the University of Idaho Cooperative Extension System or imply approval to the exclusion of other suitable products or firms.]