Ohio Certified Volunteer Naturalists – Hocking County

The Hocking County chapter of the Ohio Certified Volunteer Naturalists will be holding training classes for certification in 2016. Information on costs and how to apply are at the end of the post.

Here is the class schedule/topic list:

Hocking Hills Region

Ohio Certified Volunteer Naturalist (OCVN)

Class Schedule for 2016

DATE                  TIME                   SUBJECT                                        LOCATION

Apr 23                9A-1PM             Geology                                         Laurelville Public Library

Paul Knoop

Apr 26                530-930PM      Mammals                                     Bishop Education Center

Rebecca Miller

Apr 30                7-11AM             Ornithology                                 Waterloo Wildlife Station

Heike Perko

May 3                 530-930PM      Botany                                           Crane Hollow

Joe Moosbrugger

May 7                 9A-1PM             Forest Ecology                             Christmas Rocks SNP

Jim Osborn

May 10              530-930PM      Entomology                                 Old Man’s Cave

Pat Quackenbush

May 14              9A-1PM             Soil/Plant Ecology                      Gilmore Home Albany

Gordon and Wanda Gilmore

May 17              530-930PM      Herpetology                                 Clear Creak Metropark

Marcey Shafer and Jamie Kidwell

May 21              9A-1PM             Archaeology                                Hopewell Culture Natl Hist Park

Bret Ruby

May 24              530-930PM      Interpretive Techniques           Boch Hollow SNP

Jeff Johnson

May 28              9A-1PM             Aquatic Biology                          Clear Creak Metropark

Tommy Springer

 

HERE is the link if you are interested in taking the classes.  Class size is limited so contact us as soon as you are able.

Seed Starting – Save the Date

I have been in the basement planting many things getting ready for the upcoming gardening season.  This El Nino winter already has me thinking spring.

There will be a Seed Starting workshop at the Youth Center at the Hocking County Fairgrounds on April 12th, tuesday, at 7pm.

s8

Hope to see you there.

Lice and Beef Cattle

Cattle Lice -Winter is the prime time for lice populations on beef cattle to increase. As temperatures cool and hair coats grow longer producers need to be monitoring their livestock. Constant rubbing is a sign or indicator your livestock may have biting and or sucking lice. Both biting and sucking lice are spread by direct contact with other animals and these parasites can cost producers a lot of money. Some loss comes from production loss, but other losses occur when livestock rub equipment, fences and buildings causing damage to them. A few cattle have lice year-around and are called carriers. This may only be 1-2 percent of the herd (usually older cows or bulls), but they can re-infect the other animals causing increased populations among all the livestock.

Biting lice survive by feeding on the skin, hair and sloughed skin cells of the animal. A complete lifebiting lice cycle of biting lice can occur in as little as three weeks, and adults can live as long as 10 weeks. The adult biting louse has a brownish-amber color head with a darkly outlined abdomen with a series of brown crossbars on a pale background. It is commonly found near the base of the tail and along the topline of the animals.

Sucking lice, on the other hand, are a more serious pest that survives by penetrating the skin and feeding on the host’s blood. Sucking lice are generally dark in Sucking licecolor and typically found over the shoulders, down the animal’s neck, on the ears, dewlap or brisket. The shortnosed louse can complete its life cycle in about 28 days, although the time may range from 3–6 weeks.

Treatment in Ohio– The non-systemic insecticides are effective against all types of lice, whereas the avermectins, moxidectin and eprinomectin (systemic products) mainly kill sucking lice according to Lee Townsend, University of Kentucky Extension entomologist. Non systemic insecticides should be used from November 1st through early January if cattle were not previously treated for internal parasites (grubs). During this time there is a potential risk of choking, bloat, or paralysis from a response to cattle grubs dying in critical tissues within the animal if systemic insecticides are used.

Non-systemic insecticides come as pour-on products, dust bags, sprays and products for cattle rubs (like the pyrethroids cyfluthrin, lambda-cyhalothrin or permethrin) that can be used safely during the November to early January period. If non-systemic products are used, a second application is usually necessary in approximately 3 weeks to kill lice that were in the egg stage during the initial treatment. Read the label of the product being used to be sure of correct treatment procedures and note any withdrawal times that need followed.

Be sure to avoid parasite introductions onto the farm when purchasing new animals. Ask about previous history and management practices to reduce chances of unwanted parasites being brought in.