Control Insects

Control Insects CROPS Insect Control My father was primarily a dairy farmer but about one third of our income came from the sale of fruit vegetables berries and honey We operated a 4-acre truck garden and had about 5 acres of fruit trees We also had about 10 boxes of honey bees To control insects dad would fill a large galvanized bathtub about 3/4 full of water and then lightly coat the surface of the water with used motor oil Then at night he would hang a 100-watt light about 6 in above the water He would turn the light on at about 10 p m and it was the only light left on The first night the light was on in early June the water would be covered 2 to 3 in deep with insects But by the end of the week there was only a thin layer of dead insects He also used this technique in the spring when the fruit trees were in bloom We never used insecticides on our fruit trees yet the fruit was nearly always free of insect damage We did use a limited amount of chemicals in our vegetable gardens John Edgar Smith Wheeling W Va

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