University of Nebraska Extension - Holt/Boyd News Column for the Week of May 19, 2024

LaDonna Werth, Extension Educator Phone: 402-336-2760 E-mail: LWerth2@unl.edu

Safety First When Packing a Lunch

May 25 is National Brown-Bag-It Day, celebrating the convenience and health benefits of lunches packed at home. Carrying lunch to work or school is a great way to use leftovers from home, helping to eliminate food waste. While preparing and packing a lunch does take time, it is estimated that American families can save $500 per year just by taking lunch from home! Saving money are reducing food waste are excellent reasons to brown-bag-it. Follow these tips to make sure your lunch and the lunches you pack for others are food safe.

Give the brown bag an upgrade! Reusable, insulated containers and gel freezer packs ensure that cold food stays cold, allowing leftovers to be enjoyed a day or two after preparation. Keeping the environment cold helps food avoid the “Danger Zone” of 40-140 degrees for more than 2 hours (1 hour when the temperature is 90 degrees or more).

• Dig out the thermos. An insulated thermos is a great way to carry cold or hot liquids. For better temperature management, be sure to prime the thermos first. Fill with hot liquids (for hot foods) or cold liquids (for cold foods) and let sit for a few minutes. Empty and fill with desired contents.
• Remember safe food preparation. Cook all foods to a food safe temperature. Prepare only what will be eaten at that serving to avoid dangers with leftover perishable foods.
• If possible, keep lunches in the refrigerator until ready to eat. If a lunch is packed the night before, keep the perishable parts in the refrigerator until it is time to leave.
• Wash your hands! Be sure to pack a lunch with clean hands and, if possible, wash hands before eating the packed lunch.
• If you do not have an insulated bag and ice pack, stick to these brown bag friendly items that need to refrigeration:
  • Peanut Butter Sandwiches
  • Popcorn
  • Bread, crackers, bagels
  • Fresh fruit in the peel
  • Unopened single serve containers of fruit, fruit juice and pudding
  • Commercially prepared meats, poultry, seafood, and dried beans (such as beans and franks, pouches of tuna, etc.) that can be opened and eaten immediately.
    • Dried fruits
    • Nuts
    • Cookies, cereal bars

Give brown bagging it a try! Home packed lunches can be as unique as the person eating them. A little planning and packing can provide a versatile lunch that can be eaten anywhere.

To learn more about packed lunch safety and ideas for packed lunches, ask for the article, “Packed Lunch Safety” at your local University of Nebraska Extension Office or available on the web at food.unl.edu.

Source: Debbie Kuenning – UNL Extension Educator (UNL For Families - May 20, 2024)

Mosquitoes and Repellents

Mosquitoes are both a nuisance pest and a health pest. They are known as the deadliest animal on earth (Think: Malaria, Dengue fever). There are 50 species of mosquitoes in Nebraska, half of them feed on human blood and only females bite because they require blood to produce eggs. Both male and female mosquitoes obtain nutrients from plant nectar.

1. Should we be worried about contracting diseases in Nebraska?
Yes, West Nile virus is prevalent in Nebraska and symptoms can vary from having no symptoms at all, to flu-like symptoms and fever, to severe neurological damage, to serious fatal illness. We need to educate and prevent mosquito bites to protect us from illness.

2. How do mosquitoes transmit diseases?
Mosquitoes have piercing-sucking mouthparts that inject saliva and anticoagulants to aid in attaining a blood meal from the host. Pathogens are acquired from infected hosts, replicated in the mosquito’s body and transmitted to others, all without harming the mosquito. This can be person to person, bird to bird, or in the case of West Nile virus, bird to human.

3. Why are mosquito bites itchy?
The itching is the body’s response to the mosquito’s saliva. The human immune system releases histamines and causes the itching, swelling and redness at the bite site. It is important to refrain from scratching in order to avoid secondary bacterial infections. Everyone reacts differently and sometimes the use of over-the-counter anti-itch treatments (After Bite®, Benadryl®) may help to relieve discomfort.

4. How can I keep mosquito bites down this year?
Because mosquitoes are aquatic in the egg, larval and pupal stages, it is important to dump any stagnant water. Mosquitoes will breed in the smallest amount of water, so dumping the water out of containers, dog bowls, planters, saucers, tires, children’s pools, and toys will remove potential breeding sites.

• Dump water at least once a week to break the mosquito life cycle.
• Fix and repair window and door screens.
• Avoid the outdoors during peak mosquito times such as dawn and dusk.
• Wear light-colored, loose-fitting clothing because mosquitoes prefer dark colors and can bite through fabric.
• Use effective insect repellents.

5. Is DEET the only repellent that works?
Mosquitoes are attracted to the carbon dioxide we expel. Insect repellents like DEET change the receptors of mosquitoes, which prevent the insect from detecting us. They may still land, but they won’t bite if coverage is thorough and applied properly. DEET (Off!®, Ben’s®, Sawyer®, Repel®) at 25-30% concentration is effective at repelling mosquitoes for 8 hours.

DEET-free options that have been tested and evaluated include products with the following active ingredients:

• Picaridin (Sawyer®, Natrapel®)
• Oil of lemon eucalyptus (Repel®, Coleman®)
• R3535 (Coleman®)

More about repellents:

• Higher percentages allow for longer protection, but it’s suggested to only apply to skin the percentage needed.
• High percentages of DEET (98%) will dissolve plastics, so be aware of using around watches, cameras, sunglasses, and other plastic objects.
• Be careful spraying aerosols near eyes and faces.
• Creams and liquids can provide better application coverage.
• Use lower percentages on children, do not apply to children’s hands and reapply if necessary.
• If also applying sunscreen, apply sunscreen first, and then insect repellent.
• Apply to skin, but not skin under clothing.
• For more information about repellents: https://cals.arizona.edu/apmc/docs/Repellents-IPMShort.pdf

6. Can you tell me about Thermacell® Mosquito Repellent?
Thermacell® is a battery-operated, portable device used outdoors to repel mosquitoes. It uses a butane cartridge that heats a chemical treated repellent mat that keeps mosquitoes out of the area for a number of hours. The active ingredient is allethrin. From the reviews, it seems to be an effective product, especially for those who are outdoors for long periods of time but know that it is an insecticide.

7. What can be applied to clothing to protect from mosquitoes?
Permethrin sprays are pesticides sold specifically to treat clothing, which can remain effective through multiple wears and 4-6 washings. Be sure to follow the instructions and allow clothing to dry before wearing. There are also clothing lines that are factory pretreated with permethrin which remain effective against mosquitoes and ticks for up to 70 washings.

8. Do bracelets, citronella candles and essential oils and clip-on fans work?
No. Neither does drinking beer, bug zappers, eating certain foods, taking vitamin B, using smart phone apps or plug-in ultrasonic devices.

9. Do chemical treatments to yards really work?
There are no products or equipment available to homeowners that are both economical and effective. Some professional companies may have fogging, misting, and blowing equipment that apply residual insecticide (synthetic pyrethroids) to places where adult mosquitoes rest and may contact a lethal dose of insecticide. Professionals should make applications to non-flowering vegetation, tree canopies, bushes, underside of leaves, sidewalks, decks, crawlspaces, under decks and other cool, dark locations. It is important to do this in conjunction with harborage removal in order to provide long-term treatment. Chemical treatments alone will only offer temporary relief.

10. How can I treat water that cannot be emptied at least once a week?
When water cannot be dumped, Mosquito Dunks® can be dissolved in standing water such as troughs, fishponds, rain barrels, and birdbaths. Mosquito Dunks® contain the active ingredient bacterium, Bacillus thurengiensis israelensis (Bti), which is toxic to mosquito larvae when consumed, but non-toxic to humans, pets, pollinators, fish, and other wildlife. They are effective immediately and can last for a month.

11. I just saw the biggest mosquito ever. Could I have imagined that?
No, that was real. Nebraska has a giant day-flying mosquito, which is sometimes referred to as the shaggy-legged gallinipper. Psorophora ciliata is the largest mosquito in the United States and associated with floodwater and damp soil. Their bite is painful, but they do not transmit disease.

For more information on West Nile Virus:

• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: https://www.cdc.gov/westnile 

Healthy Guts Make Healthy Cattle

Feed additives are added to beef cattle diets with goals such as improving health and performance or reducing antibiotic use and greenhouse gas emissions. There are medicated feed additives, including antimicrobials, anti-coccidials, and antiparasitics, with many requiring a Veterinary Feed Directive (abbreviated as VFD) for use. There are also nonmedicated feed additives, including probiotics, prebiotics, and postbiotics. Probiotics and prebiotics are used to improve the animal’s gut health, via the microbes. Postbiotics can often have health benefits for the host animal, such as beneficial impacts on immunity.

Prebiotics
Prebiotics are food ingredients added to cattle diets to stimulate the growth and activity of microbes. Prebiotics are not digested in the stomach, but rather fermented in the large intestine. Commonly used as a prebiotic, oligosaccharides provide “food” for the favorable bacteria to grow within the gut. Prebiotics must also benefit the host animal’s health, often improving immunity.

Prebiotic Selection Criteria* 

• Resistance to digestion in the upper sections of the alimentary tract.
• Fermentation by the intestinal bicrobiota.
• Beneficial effect on host(s) health.
• Selective stimulation of growth probiotics.
• Stability in various food/feed processing conditions.

*Adapted from Markowiak & Śliżewska, 2018.

Probiotics
Probiotics have been defined as “live microbial feed supplements which beneficially affect the host animal by improving its microbial balance.” Cattle GI tracts naturally contain microbes, which aid in the breakdown of feed; when probiotics are used as a feed additive, they can alter this microbial population. This is of benefit to the producer and the animal by improving feed efficiency, feed digestibility, and the fermentation process. Probiotics have been shown to change fermentation end products, resulting in reduced methane production. Probiotics, since they are living, must be able to replicate after passing through the abomasum of the animal but also must remain stable during the feed processing.

Postbiotics
Postbiotics are metabolic byproducts of microbes that result in health benefits to the host animal. Postbiotics have been shown to have anti-inflammatory properties and improve immunity of the animal. When added to the feed, they can potentially enhance nutrient absorption by the animal by promoting certain enzymes involved in digestion. Postbiotics are less susceptible to environmental conditions than probiotics, therefore processing and transportation pose less of a threat to the quality of the additive. So, while postbiotics may be mass-produced easier, they are fairly new to ruminant nutrition.

Pre-, pro-, and postbiotics can be used individually as feed additives for beef cattle, or a mixture incorporating all three can be formulated.

Think about it like this, prebiotics are used to feed the already present microbes, probiotics are used to ensure the right microbes are present, and postbiotics are a byproduct of the microbes benefiting the health of the animal.

The ultimate goal of these additives is to benefit the host animal in such a way that antibiotic use can be reduced. To achieve this goal, researchers are continually looking into the use of and benefits from these additives.

Source: Addie Womack – SDSU Extension Livestock Production and Stewardship Field Specialist (SDSU Beef – March 27, 2024)