The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1947-05-09

IL
tuto Yields and reduced the
domdqe of certuin cotton pests.
They controlled the European
corn borer in several expert
ments and destroyed heuvY in
festutions Of Jupunese beetles
and qyspY moths.
Emissions containing DOT have
given good protection to shade
trees and shrubs against many
other defoliating insects, includ-
ing the locust leaf miner, elm Leaf
beetle, cankerworm, and tent
caterpillar. DOT is tough on car
penter ants and other insects that
attack logs and woodwork OF
buildings.
However. the insect experts
warn that DOT Is not q cure
Ill for all insect problems. They
say. moreover. that its indis-f
.cTiminate use may damage i'm
portant food or seed crops and
destroy beneficial insects which
keep certain injurious insects
under control.
The Department of Agriculture,
in cooperation with various state
agricultural agencies has been
testing DOT for more than. four
years. The departments Bureau
Of Entomology and Plant Quaran-
tine suggests these precautions in
using the potent insecticide:
/. Care should be taken to
avoid excessive residues of DOT
on fruits and other parts of plants
or plant products to be used as
human food.
2. Persons should avoid re-
peated or prolonged exposure to
DDT in oil solutions as it is read
lily absorbed through the skin.
8. Extra caution should be TAX
en- when using oil sprays in build
ings because of its inflammable
nature.
4 A. DOT oil sprays should not be
used on animals because DDT
may be absorbed by the skin.
S. It's a good idea to consult
your county agricultural agent or
state experiment station about
the use of DOT.
The bureau points out that
while there IS no known proven
case Of DOT having been in
furious to humans. it is never
thelsss q poison. Therefore. it
{ advises that persons be careful
not to swallow DOT or to leave
oil solutions Of the insecticide
on the skin for any length Of
time.
DOT j soluble in oil but not
water.
The bureau says that in field
tests, DOT has given excellent
control of Japanese beetles on
grapes, early apples, peaches, and
miscellaneous trees and shrubs.
Experiments show DOT to be
a potent weapon against the cod
ling moth, a fruit pest. However,
in tests in nearly all sections OF
the country, destructive mites de-
veloped to serious proportions in
DOT treated plots except when
Xanthone was included in the
spray. Three applications of DOT
on apples in Hudson Valley, New
ork, reduced infestations of the
apple maggot from Is percent to
2 percent.
Scientists say that because Of
dots effectiveness against the
European corn borer. it is pos
sible control of this insect on
canning and field corn may be-
come practical.
Fungicide dusts and sprays, to
which DOT was added, controlled
infestations of Colorado potato
beetles and potato flea beetles
In some cases, the treatment in
creased the potato yield by 70
percent. The fungicide-DDT COM
bination appeared to have no adj
verse affect on the potato plants.
The insect experts say DOT is
well established as "the perfect
answer" to the bedbug problem
It also is an important weapon in
combating sand flies, several
species of ants in buildings, fleas
in houses, and brown dog ticks in
floor coverings and baseboards.
A 10 percent DOT powder may
be busted on dogs which have
brown ticks. About one-fourth
teaspoonful is busted over the en-
tire body of the average-sized ami
NAL. Cats should not be treated
with DOT because they lick them