Extension News: June 2007 Archives

Larry Barker, UNH Cooperative Extension 4-H Youth Development Educator in Coos County, is the recipient of two awards in recognition of his outstanding work with youth, the Governor's Award for Outstanding Volunteer Manager, and the Children and Youth Pinnacle Award, presented by the American Legion Fredonwarell Post 17 of Groveton.

The Volunteers of Coos County nominated Barker for the Governor’s Award, which recognizes individuals for their excellence in program management, initiative in developing available resources, and development and management of a volunteer program at the local and/or state level.

Working annually with more than 300 4-H volunteers within Coos County, Barker understands the importance of an effective volunteer management system that includes recruitment, screening, training and recognition.

He also serves as the statewide Extension specialist in the 4-H Shooting Sports Certification program where he has written and implemented policies to ensure ethical behavior of both adults and youth in the program. This is the only certification program within the 4-H Youth Development program and Barker is known throughout New England and the national as one of the most competent statewide coordinators. This program has certified approximately 200 adult volunteers, with annual certification of approximately 20 per year.  These volunteers reach about 1,500 youth per year. 

The Children and Youth Pinnacle Award, presented by the Fredonwarell Post 17, is given to an organization, agency or individual with unsurpassed dedication and commitment to the health, education and welfare of our youth. Barker was recognized for his work with youth sports, children’s substance abuse prevention and the 4-H Youth Development program in Coos County. 

Larry is shown with Gov. John Lynch, accepting the Governor's Award for Outstanding Volunteer Manager.

The calls started coming into the Family, Home & Garden Education Center in mid-May: Help, all my plants are dying! My landscaper spread mulch around them yesterday and today they are scorched, wilted, and some are losing leaves. Besides that, my lawn is yellowing alongside the mulched bed. What can I do?

Known as sour mulch, this problem occasionally shows up when hardwood mulch has been stockpiled in very large piles. High moisture and lack of oxygen towards the center and bottoms of these piles leads to anaerobic fermentation, producing by-products such as alcohol, ammonia, and organic acids that can harm plants. Storing mulch in long, low rows no more than 10 feet high and turning it frequently to expose it to oxygen will keep it from souring.

Once sour mulch is spread, plants show symptoms within a day. Sometimes they recover and other times they die. A wide range of plants, from herbaceous perennials and annuals to newly planted trees and shrubs, can be affected.

Often you can detect sour mulch by its rotten-egg, vinegary, or ammonia-like smell, although these odors dissipate quickly once spread out. It may also feel hot to the touch. The pH is very low, ranging from 2.2 to 3.5, a good diagnostic test if you suspect you have sour mulch.

Damage is quick but not long-lasting. The harmful compounds in the mulch will volatilize and/or leach out fairly quickly once the mulch is spread in a shallow layer. Landscapers who suspect they have piles of sour mulch should check the pH and, if in doubt, spread the mulch and turn it to provide aeration. Apply lots of water to leach out the toxins and apply an ample amount of lime to bring the pH back up. After a few weeks, the mulch should be safe to use.

Homeowners shouldn't buy, spread or allow application of mulch with off-odors or mulch that's hot to the touch.

Interestingly, the sour mulch occurrences this year were limited to black mulch. Of all the calls received by Cooperative Extension or the N.H. Department of Agriculture, Markets & Food, no one complained about problems with other colored or natural mulches. We were not able to trace the black mulch back to a common source, however.

by Cathy Neal, UNH Cooperative Extension nursery and landscape specialist

For more information:
Beware of Toxic Mulch
Beware of Sour Mulch
Sour Mulch

Protect yourself and your family

Reported cases of Lyme Disease in New Hampshire jumped from 271 in 2005 to 617 last year, according to the N.H. Division of Public Health Services.

Caused by a bite from an infected blacklegged tick (formerly known as the "deer tick"), the bacterial illness disease is treatable in its early stages, but can lead to serious complications if left untreated. UNH Cooperative Extension entomologist Alan Eaton says the worst time for bites is from May through mid -July, when young ticks, called nymphs, are biting.

"New Hampshire is home to many other species of ticks, but the others don't spread Lyme Disease," said Eaton. "The blacklegged tick itself becomes infected with Lyme Disease-causing bacteria by feeding on an infected reservoir host, an organism that carries high levels of the bacteria in its bloodstream. In New Hampshire, the primary reservoir host for Lyme disease is the white-footed mouse."

Blacklegged tick must feed a day or longer to infect
The ticks encounter hosts, including humans, by climbing on tall grass, shrubs or weeds, where they wait for something to come along, holding several legs outstretched. When they are touched by fur, hair, your skin or clothing, they grab on and climb aboard. Then they crawl around in search of an appropriate location on which to attach and feed. The attachment bite is usually painless and goes unnoticed. A blood meal takes several days to complete.

"Because it takes 30 or more hours for an adult blacklegged tick to infect you after it attaches to your body, doing a tick check every night before you go to bed will greatly reduce your chances of getting Lyme disease," said Eaton. "An adult blacklegged tick that's just begun to feed will appear about the size of a sesame seed, but it can reach the size of a small grape as it becomes engorged with your blood."

More infected ticks than expected
A study done in spring 2004 by Eaton and Eleanor Lacombe of the Maine Medical Center Research Institute, found the percentage of infected blacklegged ticks in N.H. was much higher than expected. Eaton said more than half the approximately 50 adult ticks sampled in Lee and Durham and more than 70 percent in Concord were infected with the bacteria that causes Lyme Disease.

"Although reported cases of Lyme Disease have been concentrated around the Seacoast and in the southeastern part of the state, from eastern Hillsborough County through Rockingham and Strafford counties, there are many areas in the state where ticks have not been tested, and much about ticks is still unknown," Eaton says, urging all New Hampshire residents to take simple precautions to protect themselves.

Keep yourself safe
To reduce your chances of getting Lyme Disease, Eaton suggests the following:

• Tuck pant legs into socks before a trip into woods or fields.


• Check your entire body thoroughly for ticks after a day outdoors (common sites of attachment include the underarms, the groin, behind the knee, and the nape of the neck).


• Use insect repellent on socks and pant legs (most effective repellants contain either Deet, called n,n-dimethyl-m-toluamide, or picaridin).


• Wear light-colored clothing (to help locate ticks easily).


• Stay close to the center of trails (avoid brushing against vegetation).


• Keep grass mowed.


• Remove brush piles (brush provides animal nesting sites).

Since tick bites are painless, ticks are often discovered after they have begun to feed. To remove a tick, grasp it with tweezers only (bent "needle nose" tweezers work the best), around its head and close to the skin. Pull the tick out slowly and firmly. Disinfect the bite afterward with antiseptic.

If possible save the tick for identification. For proper identification place the tick in a stoppered vial and send or bring to:

UNH Cooperative Extension Arthropod Identification Laboratory
G28 Spaulding Hall
38 College Road
University of New Hampshire
Durham, NH 03824-3544

The lab charges $5.00 per specimen.

Symptoms of infection
Lyme Disease often, but not always, starts with a large, reddish, circular rash around or near a tick bite. The rash slowly expands and fades. Other symptoms include chills, fever, headache, fatigue, stiff neck, swollen glands, and muscle and/or joint pain.

If you have further questions about ticks in New Hampshire call the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services, Bureau of Communicable Disease Control, @ 603-271-4496 or 800-852-3345 x4496, or refer to Biology and Control of Ticks in New Hampshire