Quincy, Marianna,
Monticello, Live Oak
Research and Extension Updates
Vol. 3 No. 19
September 10, 2001
From the Director: Our goal is to provide the faculty with the
latest news from the Center research projects and extension activities, and
other timely information items. Please feel free to use the contents of the
newsletter in your county newsletters and education activities as you wish. If
you'd like additional details on newsletter items, contact the faculty member
author or our editor,
Regards, Dr.
Dates of
Interest
October 16-18: Sunbelt Expo, Moultrie, GA
October 30-November 1: Green Industry Updates
November 8-9:
Annual
Tomato Disease Workshop,
November 13: Cow-calf Seminar Tuesday, Agriculture Center,
Marianna 4:00 PM
November 28-December 2: Farm Bureau Beef Cattle Marketing Tour of
Oklahoma
Note from
Editor
Excuse the lateness of this issue. Technical difficulties prevented us from getting this out sooner.
In light of attacks on
our country this week, let us keep the victims and their families in our
sincere and
heartfelt prayers.
Green Industry Update
The Georgia-Florida Green Industry Updates will be held Oct. 30 (Cairo
GA), 31 (Tallahassee) and Nov. 1 (Jacksonville). Here is a web page with the
Green Industry Update information, programs and registration information:
http://www.ugatiftonconference.org/registration/2001%20Green%20Industry.htm
(Knox, NFREC News 3-19)
Personnel
Two employees were overlooked for their 30 years of service. Their names are John
Crawford and Bennie Toole. Our sincere apologies for belated
recognition. Thank you, gentlemen, for
your years of dedicated service at NFREC-Marianna.
Warm
welcome to Vicky Morris, new Office Assistant
at Quincy-NFREC. Vicky is from
this area and worked previously at the Quincy Police Department as an
Administrative Assistant. She has an
adult daughter, Melanie and grandaughter
named Victoria. Vicky’s husband Wayne is employed by Quincy Farms.
Program Updates
HEAD LICE AND COOLER WEATHER
Head lice and cooler weather seem to go together. At one time, head lice were associated with poverty and poor personal hygiene. However, in recent years lice have again become abundant in societies with relatively good sanitation standards, probably because of changes in living patterns. It is difficult to track head lice cases because head lice are not considered a disease and therefore public health departments and the Centers For Disease Control do not routinely track the number of head lice cases. However, schools and manufacturers of lice products estimate head lice cases at 12- 25 million infestations a year in the United States alone. Most of those infested are children under the age of twelve. Lice problems don't have to occur because excellent control procedures are available.
The most common symptom of a head lice infestation is
persistent itching, particularly around the ears, back of the neck and crown,
but some people never itch at all. Repeat infestations can cause some
individuals to become super-sensitive to bites. Secondary bacterial infections
can occur with excessive scratching. Diagnosis of head lice is usually based on
finding the eggs, or "nits" as they are also known, attached to the
human hair, usually behind the ears and at the nape of the neck. Nits are tiny, whitish, oval eggs firmly
attached to one side of the hair shaft at an angle. Viable nits are usually,
but not always, found within a half-inch of the scalp. Eggs are not difficult
to see with the use a strong light. If in doubt, positive diagnosis should 
be
made by an entomologist, physician, or public health worker, because hair spray
residue and naturally occurring flaking skin have been confused with eggs.
Lice are small (< 1/6 inch long) wingless insects
with flattened, elongate bodies and somewhat oval heads. They range in color
from dirty white to grayish black in color.
They have a three-stage life cycle (egg, three nymphal instars and
adult). The female head louse lays 50 to 150 eggs that hatch in 5–10 days; the life
cycle is 2–3 weeks.
Getting
rid of head lice is a three-step process. First, you must kill all the live
lice using an adulticide. Familiar over-the-counter brand names include: Rid,
Nix, Pronto and Clear. These products contain insecticides (pyrethrin or
permethrin) and should always be used with caution. Check with your pharmacist
or doctor to determine which product is safe for your family. Never use these
products if you are pregnant or nursing, or on infants under 6 months of age.
The second step is to check for and remove all the
nits by combing and manual nit picking. There is no chemical that has proved
successful in killing nits so this step is very important.
The final step is to do a reasonable job of cleaning
the infested person's belongings and home environment. This step is simplified
because the adults and nymphs are unable to survive off of the human head for
longer than 36-48 hours.
Head lice do not hop, jump or fly. Pets do not
transmit head lice, and poor personal hygiene does not cause an infestation. In
fact, head lice prefer clean, healthy heads. They migrate through direct
contact with an infested person (usually when two people's heads are touching
for a period of minutes) and their belongings through sharing combs and
headwear. This is why they spread easily between children playing or working
together in schools, and between members of the same family.
If a problem persists, consult a physician or
follow the treatment program given at http://www.headliceinfo.com/
.
(Sprenkel, NFREC
News 3-19)
News from Jackson
County
Jackson County Extension Office is coordinating an agriculture field trip for
500 5th graders September 20-21. There
will be five interactive stations with activities for students to learn about
cotton, peanuts, forestry, beef, and dairy.
The program will take place on the NFREC-Greenwood and surrounding
farms. This program is grant funded
through FAITC.
News from Calhoun
County
Wildlife/Game Management Conference W.T. Neal Civic Center
Tuesday, October 4, 2001
HWY 69, Blountstown, FL
6:00-9:30
This conference is for Hunters, Landowners, Leasers,
Game Managers, and anyone else interested in Wildlife and Game Management.
Program
6:00
PM Welcome
Logan Barbee, Calhoun County
Extension Agent
6:30
PM Deer Biology and
Habits
(Managing for Horns and
Healthy Herds)
Arlo
Kane, Wildlife Technical Services Biologist
Florida
Fish and Wildlife Conservation Comm.
7:00
PM Aging Deer
Ed Swindle, Local
Landowner/Businessman/Conservationist
7:20
PM Wildlife Services
John Dunlap, Wildlife
Biologist USDA
7:30
PM Forage Plant
Selection
Dr. Ann Blount, U of F Forage
Specialist
8:00
PM Food Plot
Establishment and Maintenance
Logan Barbee, Calhoun County
Extension Agent
8:30
PM Carcass
Disposal/Composting
Logan Barbee, Calhoun County
Extension Agent
Phillip
McMillian, Vice-President of Neal Land &
Timber
Company
9:00
PM Landowner Regional
Organizational Seminar
Dr. Jarek Nowak, U of F
Forestry Agent
For more information, please contact the Calhoun
County Extension Office at 850-674-8323.
The Institute of Food and
Agricultural Sciences is an Equal Opportunity-Affirmative Action Employer
authorized to provide research, educational information and other services only
to individuals and institutions that
function without regard to race, color,
sex, age, handicap, or national origin.
COOPERATIVE EXTENSION WORK IN AGRICULTURE, HOME ECONOMICS, STATE OF
FLORIDA, IFAS, UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA, U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE AND BOARDS
OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS COOPERATING.
Thought for the Day: Adversity is like
a strong wind. It tears away from us all
but the
things that cannot be torn, so that we see ourselves as we really
are. Arthur
Golden
E-Mail: cvergot@ifas.ufl.edu
Phone:
(850) 875-7112
The
Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences is an Equal Employment Opportunity Affirmative
Action Employer authorized to provide research, educational information and
other services only to individuals and institutions that function without
regard to race, color, sex, age handicap or national origin.
COOPERATIVE
EXTENSION WORK IN AGRICULTURE, FAMILY & CONSUMER SERVICES, STATE OF
FLORIDA, IFAS, UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA, U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, AND
BOARDS OF COUNTY COMMISSIONER COOPERATING
An Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action
Institution