Healthy Options 4/5/23: Browntail Moths & other invasive insect species

Host/Producer: Rhonda Feiman
Co-Producer: Petra Hall

Healthy Options: For Well-being & Being Well

This month:

1. What’s different this year about where we might find browntail moths (BTM),
and how has the weather affected their population so far this year?
2. Which areas of Maine have seen more of the BTM nests this year, and which are seeing less?
3. What is the life cycle of the browntail moth?
4. How do we identify BTM nests, the caterpillars, and the moths?
5. What are all the ways that we can manage these nests when we see them, and how do we safely get rid of the caterpillars? Would stepping on them and squishing them (!) be of any benefit?
6. What are the toxic parts of the caterpillars and why should the toxic hairs not come in contact with clothing or skin?
7. What does a BTM caterpillar rash look like?
8. What is the best way to take care of trees that have BTM nests & caterpillars?
9. Which trees are more susceptible to the nests? Do trees recover after a BTM infestation?
10. How do you clip nests and when is the best time to do so? What do you do with the nests after they are clipped? Is it enough to place clipped nests in soapy water to dispose of them?
11. Why is it crucial to not leave the nests on the ground? Why shouldn’t you mow nests which may be on the ground? Why mow when the grass is damp/wet?
12. How would you treat trees where the nests are so high we cannot reach them? When should you consider hiring a licensed arborist to clip nests?
13. Why would people consider using chemicals/toxins on the trees, rather than cutting off the nests within reach, hiring an arborist, or even using drones to clip them?
14. Why should we check under the eaves of houses, under porches, and even in wheel wells of our cars, when we have been in an area with the caterpillars?
15. What other caterpillars and moths can be confused with BTM? Why should we take care to identify BTM versus other beneficial insects?
16. Is it helpful to turn off lights at night from late June through August when the adult moths are congregating and “looking for love”?
17. Why are using bug zappers detrimental?

Guest/s:
Tom Schmeelk, Maine Forest Service entomologist

Additional Information:
“Knock Out Browntail” with info & links on the Maine Forest website.
YouTube video: Tom Schmeelk illustrates browntail moth overwintering webs, offers tips for identification, and gives instructions for removal and destruction of webs within reach from the ground.

About the host:
Rhonda Feiman is a nationally-certified, licensed acupuncturist practicing in Belfast, Maine since 1993. She primarily practices Toyohari Japanese acupuncture, using gentle and powerful non-insertion needle techniques, and also utilizes Chinese acupuncture and herbology. In addition, Rhonda is a practitioner of Qi Gong and an instructor of Tai Chi Chuan in the Yang Family tradition.

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Maine Currents 4/4/23: The Democracy Forum & the League of Women Voters of Maine

Producer/Host: Amy Browne

This month:
One of the things we’re going to be doing on Maine Currents this year is taking a peak behind the scenes at some of WERU’s public affairs shows- what they cover, how they are produced, the experience and background of the hosts, how you can send in questions, or, in some cases, even get involved.

We’re starting with the Democracy Forum, which began as an election season special before becoming a monthly program year ’round. Ann Luther hosts, but there is a whole team from the League of Women Voters behind her, and some of them joined us when we spoke in late March

Guests:
My guests are from the League of Women Voters of Maine – Ann Luther and Judi Lyles are from the Downeast Chapter. Ann is host of the Democracy Forum on the 3rd Friday of every month, 4-5pm, and Judi is one a member of the team that helps plan the shows, along with other events. Will Hayward is the Advocacy Program Coordinator for the state chapter.

FMI
League of Women Voters of Maine
Maine State Legislature

About the host:

Amy Browne started out at WERU as a volunteer news & public affairs producer in 2000, co-hosting/co-producing RadioActive with Meredith DeFrancesco. She joined the team of Voices producers a few years later, and has been WERU’s News & Public Affairs Manager since January, 2006. In addition to RadioActive, Voices and Maine Currents, she also produced and hosted the WERU News Report for several years. She has produced segments for national programs including Free Speech Radio News, This Way Out, Making Contact, Workers Independent News, Pacifica PeaceWatch, and Live Wire News, and has contributed to Democracy Now and the WBAI News Report. She is the recipient of the 2014 Excellence in Environmental Journalism Award from the Sierra Club of Maine, and the First Place 2017 Radio News Award from the Maine Association of Broadcasters.

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Outside the Box 4/4/23: “Good News, (Maybe)”

Producer/Host: Larry Dansinger

About the host:
Larry Dansinger (no pronouns) of Bangor came to Maine in 1974 and has been here ever since. Some of Larry’s activities since then: Done community organizing on numerous issues through INVERT and then Resources for Organizing and Social Change (ROSC), committed civil disobedience several times, grown a garden yearly since 1977, joined various food cooperatives and two men’s groups, refused to pay federal income taxes for war, lived on a community land trust for 23 years, and met a wonderful partner whom Larry has loved for over 40 years. Larry has produced Outside the Box features on WERU since 2007 and continues to look for unique ways of seeing almost any problem or situation.

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The Nature of Phenology 4/1/23: Amazing Adaptations

Producers: Hazel Stark & Joe Horn
Host: Hazel Stark

Unlike human beings which have a notably large range of foolish behavior seemingly without consequence, truly foolish behavior rarely exists beyond one generation in other species.

Photos, a full transcript, references, contact information, and more available at thenatureofphenology.wordpress.com

About the host/writers:
Joe Horn lives in Gouldsboro, is Co-Founder of Maine Outdoor School, L3C, and is a Registered Maine Guide and Carpenter. He is passionate about fishing, cooking, and making things with his hands. He has both an MBA in Sustainability and an MS focused in Environmental Education. Joe can be reached by emailing [email protected]

Hazel Stark lives in Gouldsboro, is Co-Founder and Naturalist Educator at Maine Outdoor School, L3C, and is a Registered Maine Guide. She loves taking a closer look at nature through the lens of her camera, napping in beds of moss, and taking hikes to high points to see what being tall is all about. She has an MS in Resource Management and Conservation and is a lifelong Maine outdoorswoman. Hazel can be reached by emailing [email protected]

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Earthwise 4/1/23: The April Fool

Producer/Host: Anu Dudley

About the host:

Rev. Dr. Anu Dudley is an ordained Pagan minister and a retired history professor. She continues to teach classes, including the three-year ordination curriculum at the Temple of the Feminine Divine, and others such as History of the Goddess, Paganism 101, Ethical Magic, and Introduction to the Runes. Currently she is writing a book about how to cast the runes using their original Goddess meanings. She lives in the woods off-grid in a small homesteading community in Central Maine.

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The Cosmic Curator 4/1/23: A Look at the Stars

This is your Cosmic Curator, Tom Yaroschuk, with a look at the stars for today Saturday April 1st.
This could be a day when your emotions dominate your intellect. You know how that goes, you pick out something you feel like buying based on feelings. The color, not the car kind of thing. That’s because Mercury, the planet of our intellectual functioning is just entering Aries…

About the Host:
Tom Yaroschuk is a Vedic Astrologer. His intention is to help people understand their karma and the issues they may confront to cultivate more fulfilling lives. Tom is writing a memoir of the spiritual lessons derived from his work in a Homeless Day Center in between a career as an award winning television and documentary producer.

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