FOR RELEASE THE WEEK OF JULY 26, 1999:
Recently, I got an e-mail saying that the artificial sweetener aspartame can cause diseases like multiple sclerosis, lupus, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and diabetes. Is that true?
No, it’s not true, says Martha Raidl, University of Idaho extension nutrition specialist. "Many highly respected MS groups and other expert organizations have condemned these rumors," she says. "You should know that aspartame has been very intensively studied and that the Food and Drug Administration, the American Medical Association and the World Health Organization have all concluded that it is safe."
We’ve got earwigs again on our apricots and in our vegetables. What do you recommend for controlling them?
Adult earwigs are a "tough insect to kill," says Bob Stoltz, University of Idaho extension entomologist. Pyrethroids, Sevin, pyrethrins, sabadilla, rotenone and insecticidal soap will all work IF you can score a direct hit. That’s a big if, says Stoltz; earwigs are "not susceptible to wandering around and getting into insecticides themselves."
For your apricot trees, he recommends putting a band of sticky material around the base so the earwigs can’t crawl up. They’re lousy fliers.
To protect your vegetables and berries, try setting rolled-up newspapers in the furrows or at the edges of your beds. The earwigs will crawl inside at night and you can dump them out in the morning. If you plan to spread out an insecticidal bait, set a board on top of it to keep it fresh. Or, lure the earwigs into empty tuna fish or cat food cans filled with vegetable oil or beer.
Probably the most reliable control–really!–is enlisting a couple of ducks or banty chickens. "If you’ve got earwigs, they’ll find them," Stoltz says.
If none of these suggestions appeal, you could just try making your peace with earwigs. In mature crops, "they’re usually more of a nuisance than anything," he says. They’ll gouge irregular holes out of leaves or chew on leaf edges, and they’ll feed on split apricot fruit. But they will also helpfully devour decayed plant material, mites and other insects--and it’s "just an old wives’ tale that they will get in your ears."
Speaking of ears, they WILL feed on corn silks and blossoms and interfere with kernel development. If you’re looking forward to sweet corn and earwigs are eating the silks before pollination, you’ll want to lower your tolerance and dispatch with them.
My husband and I were recently divorced. We have so many important issues to discuss about our children, but I can’t stand being in the same room with him. Our conversations are disasters. Any advice?
"We work with many people we don’t like or trust, yet we get along with them just fine," says Harriet Shaklee, University of Idaho extension family development specialist. She encourages people to define their new relationships with their ex-spouses as those of business partners.
"Even though you have separated as spouses, you are still linked as parents and your love for your shared children demands that you have continued contact as you plan for your children’s well being," she says. Think about these questions: What "business" do you share? What goals do you hold in common? What role does each partner play in reaching these goals?
For your "business" meetings, choose a neutral location–like a coffee shop or public place–where the rules of courtesy apply. Develop and stick to an agenda that focuses on the children and the future you’d like to see for them. Bring along any relevant facts or papers; if it helps, take notes and sign agreements.
Communication with ex-spouses is often challenging, Shaklee says. "You separated because you couldn’t get along. Different values and parenting styles and conflicting expectations about new roles as single mom and dad all set the stage for disagreements."
For in-depth guides to successful co-parenting, Shaklee recommends Between Love and Hate: A Guide to Civilized Divorce, by Lois Gold, and Mom’s House, Dad’s House, by Isolina Ricci. Also click on www.vix.com/crc/ (Children’s Rights Council site for separated parents) and www.daads.com/ (Dads at a Distance home page).
How can I extend the freshness of the cut flowers I bring into my home from the garden?
Always cut flowers in the morning after the dew dries or in the evening before the dew sets in–not in the heat of the midday sun, says Michael Colt, University of Idaho extension horticulturist. To ensure longer vase life, harvest flowers just before they mature, when they aren’t quite open–and always take a bucket of water with you so that you can immerse the cut stems immediately.
Once you’ve brought your cuttings inside, hold them under water and cut at least a half-inch of stem with a scissors or sharp knife to expose a fresh surface. If the cut stems discharge a milky fluid, dip the lower half-inch into boiling water for 30 seconds. The key, says Colt, is to keep the flower’s water-conducting tubes clear. For the same reason, you’ll want to wash your vases in soapy water before you set in the flowers; washing removes bacteria and fungi that might plug the tubes.
Also, remove excess foliage: it decays under water and demands too much water above it. Other flower-savers: Add one or two tablespoons of lemon juice per quart of water and protect your cut flowers from direct sunlight and warm spots.