Pest Warning and Treatment from USU Extension

VEGETABLES


Thrips on a variety of Vegetables

Western flower thrips feed on melons, cabbage, cucumbers, lettuce, tomatoes, and will soon start to build in numbers, in particular on peas. These tiny insects are hard to spot (a hand lens is necessary for identification), and are usually not noticed until significant damage has occurred.

They feed by scratching the leaf tissue and sucking up the cell contents. As a result, they are removing chlorophyll and leaving the plant with a shiny, silvery cast. On cucurbits, thrips feeding causes a white stippling on the leaves. On peas, leaves look as if something toxic has been dripping on the leaves.

Thrips overwinter in grains, clover, alfalfa crops, and weedy areas. They will migrate to vegetable crops in late spring to early summer when cereal crops or weeds are cut or begin to dry.

To monitor, look at the undersides of leaves, or in protected sites to determine presence. No threshold for treatment has been determined for vegetable crops, but in general, it is a good idea to treat when you see more than 5-6 nymphs per leaflet. The best option is to monitor the crop and treat before the population builds to damaging levels.

Treatment: azadirachtin (Azatin), spinosad (Conserve, Entrust, Green LightH, FertiLomeH), Beauvaria bassiana (Botanigaurd), lambda-cyhalothrin (Warrior)

Hhomeowner use



Thrips on Onion

Onion thrips populations are very low now due to the cool moist spring. This insect typically thrives in hot, arid environments, potentially making it the most destructive pest on onions in Utah. They overwinter as adults and start feeding in early spring on volunteer onions and new plantings.

On onions, they feed on new leaves near the center of the onion neck, leaving white to silvery streaks where they have fed. Heavy feeding can cause plant withering, and during July and August (when bulbs are rapidly enlarging), it can also cause reduced bulb size due to loss of plant vigor. Thrips can also vector viruses such as the iris yellow spot virus, which is fairly new to Utah.

Onion growers in northern Utah should be scouting their fields now for thrips activity. To find them, open the leaves of the plant and look in the neck at the newest leaves and quickly count the thrips before they hide. From now to mid July, if up to 15 thrips/plant are found, treatments should be made to prevent later population build-up.

To manage this pest, consider alternate options before pesticides, as onion thrips can quickly develop resistance. Heavy sprays of water (including overhead irrigation) will dislodge and drown the thrips. Also, applying straw mulch, and interplanting with carrots as an alternate host, can reduce thrips populations on onion.

Treatment: azadirachtin (Azatin, Neemix), spinosad (Success, Entrust, Green LightH), spinetoram (Radiant), insecticidal soapH, kaolin clay (SurroundH), carbaryl (SevinH), methomyl (Lannate), permethrin (Ambush, Pounce), spirotetramat (Movento)

Halso for homeowner use



Colorado Potato Beetle

Colorado potato beetles will be building in numbers soon. They feed primarily on leaves of potatoes and sometimes on tomatoes, eggplant, and peppers. Newly transplanted plants are susceptible to damage. Adult beetles overwinter in soil or leaf litter and emerge in May. Because of the cooler weather this spring, their emergence has been slow.

Masses of eggs may be found on the undersides of leaves in clusters of around 25. This pest is so successful because each female can lay up to 500 eggs, it is a voracious feeder, there are two generations, and it adapts to whatever it thrown at it, i.e., insecticides.

Monitor fields or individual plants for Colorado potato beetle adults now by shaking a stem over a white cloth. If adults are found, look under leaves for egg masses. Treatment threshold is 25 beetles per 50 plants and a 10% defoliation level.

Alternative treatments to insecticides include:

crop rotation, ideally as far away from last year’s planting as possible
planting one or two extra rows as “trap crops” that are treated at planting time with a systemic such as imidacloprid (Admire)
use organic mulches to impede beetle travel
plant late, after beetles have emerged and dispersed
hand-pick regularly and immerse in soapy water; or vacuum

When scouting, treat plants if you find more than 1 adult beetle per plant, or 4 small larvae per plant. Keep in mind that healthy and late-season potatoes can tolerate up to 20% defoliation without yield losses.
If an insecticide is warranted, we recommend changing materials at each generation (it is OK to use the same material within each generation).

Treatment: spinosad (Conserve, Entrust, Success, BonideH, FertiLomeH, MontereyH), pyrethrin (Ace Flower and Vegetable Insect SprayH), imidacloprid (Admire), carbaryl (SevinH, Bayer AdvancedH), abamectin (AgriMek), acetamiprid (Assail, Ortho Max Flower, Fruit, and Vegetable Insect KillerH), indoxacarb (Avaunt), spinetoram (Radiant), azadirachtin (Azatin, Abamectin), neem oil (Concern)

Hhomeowner use



Imported Cabbageworm on Cole Crops

Look for the creamy white butterfly, imported cabbageworm, in the warmer areas of northern Utah. This insect overwinters as pupae, and the fast-moving adults emerge in spring. fly quickly from plant to plant laying single eggs on any variety of cole crop. Eggs hatch within 3-5 days.

The larvae are hairy-green and have a yellow stripe along their backs. As you scout your plantings (examine 5 consecutive plants in at most 10 random locations in the planting), look for these larvae. If present, treat when 10% of plants have active larvae. (Once heads form on broccoli, cauliflower, and cabbage, observe a 5% threshold.)

Treatment:

commercial growers: Bt (on young larvae, Xentari, Agree), indoxycarb (Avaunt), spinosad (Entrust, Success), spinetoram (Radiant), pyrethrin (Pyganic), tebufenozide (Confirm 2F), methoxyfenozide (Intrepid)

residential growers: neem oil, spinosad (Bonide, FertiLome, Monterey), pyrethrin (Ace Flower and Vegetable Insect Spray), carbaryl (Sevin, Bayer Advanced), acetamiprid (Ortho Max Flower, Fruit, and Vegetable Insect Killer)



Western Flea Beetle on Cole Crops and Other Vegetables

Western flea beetles are active now, feeding on a wide variety of crops. Cole crops are the primary host, and other vegetables (sweet corn, tomatoes) are secondary.

Flea beetles are tiny black beetles that jump when disturbed. They overwinter as adults and begin feeding in spring. They feed on the underside of leaves causing small holes or sunken pits. They are mostly a problem on new seedlings, and if left unchecked, can cause significant damage. Older plants can usually withstand feeding, although the lower leaves may be affected.

Monitor young seedlings carefully until they have mature leaves. The best time is mid-day when they are most active. Although there can be up to 3 generations, the overwintering adults cause the most damage. Treat when 5% of plants are infested.

Treatment: spinosad (Entrust, Success, MontereyH, Ferti-LomeH, etc.) insecticidal soapH, diatomaceous earth, neem oilH, carbaryl (SevinH), permethrin (Ambush, Pounce)

Hhomeowner use

Leafminer on Spinach, Beet, Chard






Leafminers are active now, laying eggs on spinach, beet and chard leaves. There is both a beet (Pegomya betae) and spinach (Pegomya hyoscyami) leafminer, and both species feed on similar crops.

The adult is a fly and the oblong eggs are white, and the neat rows are easily visible on the undersides of leaves. The maggots burrow inside the leaves, eating cell contents between the upper and lower epidermis. The visible symptom is a winding trail that may enlarge to gray blotches on the leaves. A single maggot can cause significant damage, feeding on multiple leaves during its development.

Maggots feed for a few weeks before pupating in the soil. There are 3 to 4 generations per season. Late May is the first peak period of activity.

Weed control is the first line of defense. Both species of leafminers also feed on lambsquarters, chickweed, nightshade, and Amaranthus species.
Crop rotation and removing infested leaves can also help to reduce the population and damage.
Row covers applied just before and during egg-laying (June, August) will exclude flies and protect plants.
Chemical control is not recommended unless leaves are to be used for consumption. (Homeowners, however, can cut away mined portions.) If used, chemicals are only effective when timed with egg deposition or hatching.

Treatment: Look for eggs or the start of new mines to determine when to start treatment. Repeat treatment in 7-10 days. Options include: Agri-mek (abamectin), Coragen (chlorantraniliprole), Beleaf (flonicomid), Provado (imidacloprid), malathionH, insecticidal soapH, pyrethrinH, spinosadH

Hhomeowner use

Cold Injury to a Variety of Vegetables

Nighttime temperatures in some areas are still dipping into the 40, causing cold injury to a variety of vegetable plantings. Injury includes water-soaked lesions, wilted/curled leaves, bleached spots on the foliage, and a purplish cast to the foliage. Some tender vegetables are susceptible to cold injury below 45 ° F. Cold (also known as chilling) injury is successively worse with cooler temperatures and/or longer exposure. Depending on the degree of injury, plants can be killed. The most susceptible plants are tomatoes, melons, squash, cucumber, pumpkins, eggplant, pepper, and basil.

Plants affected by cold injury can recover, but will grow slower then healthy plants. Good news is that evening temperatures are forecasted to remain in the 50s for much of northern Utah. Colder locations will see temps in the 40s over the weekend, and plants there will still need overnight protection.


BERRY CROPS


Raspberry Horntail

Adults have been active for several weeks now, laying eggs on the terminals of raspberry canes. Larvae feed within the stem tissue and later move down the cane to pupate.

The adult is a wasp (Hartigia cressoni and is rarely seen. The male is black, and the female is black with yellow markings. Adults emerge from winter pupation within raspberry canes, and lay eggs on canes by inserting eggs just under the epidermis. Larvae then feed inside the cane. Wilting of the tips may not be evident until extensive feeding has already occurred. This wilting may recover at night, but later in the season, the top terminal usually dies back. In late summer, the larvae move down the cane, and remain in the pith for the winter.

Fields can tolerate low populations, however if left untreated, populations can build and cause quite a bit of damage and frustration. Research at USU has found that there are high levels of natural predation by other wasp parasites.

Monitor plants throughout the season for terminal wilting and prune and destroy the infested plant material. When pruning, be sure that you get the white larva inside the stem. It may be farther down the stem than you think. To get a feel for where the larvae are feeding, slice a few cut stems vertically to locate the larva. Where there is no borer, the pith will be creamy-white. A pith with loose brown material will indicate borer activity (either above or below the cut). Some growers have a “touch” for finding the larva within a stem, and squeeze the cane where it is feeding (thus killing the larva inside), without having to prune the tip off.

Treatment: Carbaryl (Sevin) may reduce the adult egg-laying population. It and should be applied now, and again 2 weeks later; if plants are in bloom, do not spray, or limit spraying to evening hours only to protect pollinators.



Rose Stem Girdler

Larvae of the rose stem girdler (Agrilus aurichalceus) will be emerging soon from pupation inside raspberry, blackberry, currant, gooseberry, and shrub rose canes in locations along the Wasatch Front, and will begin emerging in the next few weeks in Cache and Carbon counties.

The adult beetles lay eggs near the base of the canes, and the larvae hatch and move into the plant tissue. The insect at first forms random, spiraling galleries on the inner bark of canes, and then moves into the center where it moves up or down the cane. Canes may have swellings at the feeding sites, and infested canes may break at weak areas later in the season.

The best treatment option is to remove and destroy infested canes late in the season and over the winter. There are a few insecticides that can be used to kill the eggs and newly hatched larvae, but use caution when spraying flowering plants: treat at dawn or dusk only, to avoid harming pollinators, or ideally, do not spray plants in bloom.

Treatment: Malathion, rotenone + pyrethrin (Pyrellin EC, Bonide Liquid Rotenone Pyrethrin Spray; this material is softest on bees), Diazinon. Treat every 7 days for 3 weeks.

Saskatoon Sawfly

Serviceberries (AKA Amelanchier, shadbush, juneberry, or Saskatoon) are a delicious fruit, tasting like a mix of blueberries and nuts. I’m trying to grow a crop of these myself, and I thought I’d mention an interesting find (in Cache County) in case there are others growing serviceberries.

A majority of the developing fruit an infestation of a fruit feeding insect called Saskatoon sawfly. Adult sawflies emerge in May, and each female lays a single egg inside several flowers of serviceberry and chokecherry. Eggs hatch about a week after petal fall, and the larvae then feed inside the developing fruit. They push frass (sawdust-like excrement) out of an exit hole and consume the entire inside contents of the fruit. Around the end of June, they drop out of the fruit and burrow into the soil to spend the rest of the summer and winter. They pupate in the spring.

Infested fruits will appear black and shrunken at harvest. Losses can be extensive (up to 90% in my garden!), as each larva may hollow out several fruits in a cluster during the course of its lifetime.

Treatments are too late this year, and should begin next year at pre-bloom and at petal fall. Options include Delegate or Malathion, or a pyrethriod labeled for fruits.

A Few More Rethinking Tips on Storage

Many of us have an area in our home where we store our canned items. It may be a basement room, a pantry in the kitchen, or in my parents case, they had a cupboard 4 feet long, 8 inches deep and 6 feet tall. Everything went in there, trashbags, laundry soap, and their canned food items. For the majority of us when that food storage area gets low, we go to the grocery store. And in my parents case they went twice a week.

So.... what if? What if we had a pandemic and had to stay in our homes for a couple of months? What if there were major floods, earthquakes, droughts, crop failures (hmm, sounds like? now?) and there were difficulties bringing food to the stores?

We have a need for food storage. Start with 3-months. Then followup with a full years of long term food stuffs that last for years.

Don't consider it your "food storage" room, consider it your "store" (another wonderful concept I learned this week).

So in the weeks to follow - on my Thursday and Friday blog spot. I would like to talk about:

• How to start your 3 month supply,
• How to maintain it,
• Where to put it,
• Long-term
• How to use it,
• Where to put it (egads! a full year of food goes where?)
• Etc.

Unless, of course, I get carried away on another subject, which will probably be the case, but we'll get back to this discussion. And if I repeat myself? So be it! Just do it!

START GATHERING UP YOUR PEACE OF MIND. (Get it?)

~Karin

What Food Storage Gems I Learned this Week.

What a great week! Here are some miscellaneous food storage gems I learned this week.

• Reactive vs. Proactive - one is prepared and the other isn't.
• Self Relient is being "FREE."
• When it comes to storing food - think, "What would I do if?" And then plan accordingly.
• What destroys your food storage? 1) Heat, 2) Light, 3) Pests, 4) Moisture and 5) Air.
• Did you know that you can keep eggs on the shelf for 7 months? Take your eggs, rub them with Mineral Oil (the lubercant/laxative type) and place them back in the egg carton (if its cardboard, but syran wrap in the bottom - since the eggs will be oily) with the pointy end down (so the air pocket with be up). Just remember to rotate (use the older eggs first). This way you will have fresh eggs for 7 months.
• If you put an egg in a class of water and it stays verticle it is still fresh. If it's tilted, its still fresh. It may not be fresh if its horizontal. The only difference between a new egg and an older egg is the yolk won't be as puffy. But then if you put it back in the frig, it will be puffy once again.

I know this is short, but I am so tired, I can't think straight. If you have questions, just ask!

~Karin

Saving Garden Seeds

Modern plant breeders have come a long way toward developing vegetable cultivars of the highest quality. In many cases, yields and pest resistance of these new cultivars far exceed those popular just a few years ago.
Until the end of World War II most gardeners saved their own seeds in an effort to cut costs and/or because high quality seeds were not always readily available at a reasonable price. That’s all changed. Now inexpensive, high quality seed is available and we generally recommend that you purchase fresh seed from a reliable, preferably local, company rather than attempt to save your own seeds from year to year.
However, there is a small but growing group of hobby gardeners that prefer to save their own seeds. By doing this they not only save a very small sum of money but also can attempt to do their own amateur plant breeding and selection of what they consider to be superior cultivars. One caveat: be advised that saving seeds of some patented cultivars may be illegal.

Saving your own vegetable seed is fun but takes time and must be done right. Harvest seeds only from the best cultivars that produce the most vigorous plants and the finest crops. With carrots and parsnips, select the plants that produce small-cored roots with little zoning. (Zoning is the bicolor banding you see in a cross-section of the roots.)

Here are a few rules and definitions to keep in mind when saving your seeds.

Hybrids
Many cultivars available from seed companies today are F1 hybrids (that is, the first generation of a cross between two inbred lines). There are hybrids of cross-pollinated as well as of self-pollinated crops. These produce vigorous, high yielding, pest-resistant plants with high-quality flowers, fruits or roots. The seeds you purchase and plant will produce plants true to type, but their offspring won’t. Seeds saved from an F1 hybrid plant will be the next (F2) generation and will very likely produce plants inferior to the parent. Do not waste your time saving the seeds from hybrid cultivars.

Open-pollinated cultivars
This refers to cross-pollinated cultivars that are not hybrids. They will produce plants reasonably true to type if planted in isolation. Most older cultivars of vegetables, such as the 'Straight 8' cucumber and the 'Sparkler' radish, are open-pollinated.

Cross-pollinated cultivars
Cross-pollinated cultivars are those that are pollinated by other cultivars of the same kind of plant. For example, seeds of 'Long Standing Bloomsdale' spinach are produced in fields planted only to that cultivar and isolated from other spinach cultivars. The traits passed on to the seeds will be within the acceptable known characteristics of the cultivar.

If you plant only 'Long Standing Bloomsdale' spinach, the traits will be passed on to succeeding generations and you will be reasonably sure of getting a 'Long Standing Bloomsdale' type plant from year to year. However, if you plant different cultivars of spinach– for example, 'Long Standing Bloomsdale' and 'Melody' – in your garden in the same year, they will cross-pollinate. The seeds from this cross-pollination will carry a combination of traits from the two cultivars. So, you can save seeds from open-pollinated cultivars and be reasonably sure of getting satisfactory results IF you isolate the plants from other cultivars of the same type of vegetable.

Plants listed in Table 1 are naturally cross-pollinated. For home garden production, separate these plants from others of the same kind by at least 200 yards to reduce the chances of crossing among cultivars. As a group, most crucifers – also known as cole crops, or brassicas – cross readily, so isolate them from each other by at least 200 yards if you want to save their seed. For example, broccoli will readily cross with kohlrabi, cabbage with cauliflower, etc.
Beets, chard, corn and spinach are cross-pollinated by wind (wind-pollinated). Separate these plants by at least one mile from other cultivars of the same kind. Always isolate super sweet corn varieties. If they cross with any other types of corn, the resulting corn will be tough and starchy.
The better seed companies indicate in their catalogs whether a cross-pollinated cultivar is open-pollinated or a hybrid. Once again, do not attempt to save the seeds of hybrid cultivars.

Partially cross-pollinated cultivars
Eggplant, pepper, celery and the cucurbits (vine crops – squashes, pumpkins, muskmelons, cucumbers and watermelons) are partially cross-pollinated, with the amount of cross-pollination dependent upon the environment. However, as with open-pollinated cultivars, there are hybrid cultivars available within this group. If you plan to save the seeds, plant a nonhybrid in isolation to be sure you get seeds that will produce plants that are true to type.

Cucurbits belonging to certain species will also cross-pollinate (Table 2) and must be isolated from each other to remain reasonably true to type.

Self-pollinated cultivars
Peas, beans, lettuce and tomatoes are self-pollinated. You can be fairly sure of getting plants true to type from seeds saved from an earlier generation, provided you do not start with hybrid seeds. You can plant several cultivars together and not have to worry about isolation to retain purity.

Biennials

Saving seeds from annuals is easy, but the seeds of biennials are borne in the second season following a cold period (Table 3). Therefore, you will have to allow the plants to over-winter and collect seeds from the flowering structures the following year. Root crops present a special problem since they must be harvested to judge their quality. Carefully dig them in the fall and select those
TABLE 2. Some commonly grown cucurbits (vine crops), their species and common cultivars.

Any two cultivars within the same species will freely cross. Cultivars within species with the same subscript will also cross. For example, C. pepo will cross with C. moschata and C. mixta, while C. maxima will cross only with C. moschata. Other crosses between species (for example, C. melo and C. sativus) will not occur, nor will crosses among genera.

Species
Cucurbita pepoz
Cucurbita moschatayz
Cucurbita maximay
Cucurbita mixtaz
Cucumis
melo
Cucumis
sativus
Citrullus
lanatus

Cultivars
Jack O’Lantern pumpkin
Conn. field pumpkin
Acorn squash
Spaghetti squash
Zucchini
Yellow
crookneck
Yellow straightneck
Bush scallop
Butternut squash
Dickinson pumpkin
Kentucky field pumpkin
Golden cushaw pumpkin
Buttercup squash
Hubbard squash
Turks turban squash
Big Max pumpkin
King ofmammoths pumpkin
Green striped cushaw pumpkin
White cushaw pumpkin
Netted muskmelons
Honeydew melons
Casaba melons
Crenshaw melons
Snake melon
Cucumber
Watermelon

TABLE 1. Some common vegetable crops that are naturally cross-pollinated
Asparagus
Carrots
Cress
Okra
Radish
Beets
Cauliflower
Endive
Onion
Rhubarb
Broccoli
Chard
Leek
Parsley
Rutabaga
Cabbage
Corn
N.Z. Spinach
Parsnip
Spinach

with the best characteristics (largest root, minimal zoning, etc.). Remove their tops and replant them right away just as they were growing previously. The following spring they will produce new tops and a flower stalk from which seeds can be harvested.

Saving seeds borne in a pod-like structure (beans, peas, crucifers, etc.)
• Allow the pods to turn brown, then harvest the pods, dry them for 1–2 weeks in a warm, dry area and shell.
• Store the seeds in a paper bag in a cool (below 50°F), dry place.
• The seeds of crucifers can carry diseases that will infect your garden. After harvest, soak seeds of cabbage in 122°F water for 25 minutes. Soak the seeds of broccoli, Brussels sprouts and cauliflower at the same temperature for 18 minutes. Pay attention to the time and temperature.
• After soaking, dry and store the seeds in paper envelopes in a cool, dry place.
Saving seeds borne in a flowerhead (lettuce, endive, dill, etc.)
• Cut off the seed stalks just before all the seeds are dried; the seeds may fall off the stalk and be lost if you allow them to fully dry on the plant.
• Dry the harvested seed stalk, shake or rub the seeds off and store them in a paper envelope in a cool, dry place. If you notice the seeds fall off the stalks as they dry (shattering), place the entire stalk upside down in a paper bag or cover the seed heads with a nylon stocking to catch the seeds.
Saving seeds borne in fleshy fruit (tomato, cucumber, etc.)
• Pick fully ripe fruit of cucumber and tomato and squeeze the pulp, including the seeds, into a glass or plastic container.
• Add a little water and let the mixture ferment several days at room temperature, stirring occasionally. Sound, viable seeds will settle out; nonviable seeds will float.
• Pour off the pulp, nonviable seeds and water and spread the viable seeds in a single layer on a paper towel to dry.
• Store them in a paper envelope in a cool, dry place.
• Scrape out the seeds of peppers, melons, pumpkins and squash and spread them onto a paper towel to dry. Then store them in a paper envelope as you would other seeds.

Saving herb seeds

Herbs vary in the way their seeds are produced. In general, allow herb seeds to remain on the plants until nearly dry. Some seed heads, like those of dill, shatter as soon as they are dry. Watch the early-ripening seeds; if they drop, harvest the other seed heads before they get to that point, leaving several inches of stem attached.

Tie several stems together and hang them upside-down, covered with a paper bag to catch falling seed, in a warm, dry place until completely dried. Remove seeds from the heads and store them in a paper envelope in a cool, dry place. Herb seeds for flavoring, such as dill, anise and cumin, are used when dry.
Mark storage containers clearly with permanent ink, indicating the cultivar of seed and date saved. Most seeds remain viable for years if properly stored in paper envelopes in a cool place.

Test germination in February by the traditional “rag-doll” test. Count out 100 small seeds or 25 large seeds and wrap them in moistened paper toweling. Squeeze out the extra water and place the “rag-doll” in a glass jar with the cover loosely fastened. Place the jar on a sunny window sill. Unroll the paper after a week and figure the germination; if germination is below 50 percent, either discard the seed or double the planting concentration to give the desired number of plants.

TABLE 3. The following plants are biennials and normally will produce seeds in their second season
Beets
Cabbage
Carrots
Cauliflower
Celery
Chard
Chicory1
Collards
Endive1
Kale
Leeks
Onions
Parsnips
Parsley
Rutabaga

by Robert E. Gough, Professor of Horticulture, and Cheryl Moore-Gough, Extension Horticulture Specialist, Montana State University-Bozeman

Copyright © 2008 MSU Extension
We encourage the use of this document for nonprofit educational purposes. This document may be reprinted for nonprofit educational purposes if no endorsement of a commercial product, service or company is stated or implied, and if appropriate credit is given to the author and MSU Extension. To use these documents in electronic formats, permission must be sought from the Extension Communications Coordinator, 115 Culbertson Hall, Montana State University, Bozeman MT 59717; E-mail: publications@montana.edu
To order additional publications, please contact your county or reservation MSU Extension office, visit our online

Survival Clothing

Dressing properly: I see two distinct premises for an article regarding clothing: First is to encourage proper dress when going into a potential survival situation; and secondly is to have suitable clothing incorporated into your bug-out bag or car survival kit if you are forced to flee at a moments notice. If you are suddenly caught in a earthquake and flew out the house dressed in your pajamas and only have that bug-out bag in hand, what is the weather like outside? Is it warm sunny summer day? Or is it in the cold rain or dead of winter in a blizzard? Do you relish the thought of hiking through the boonies in you pajamas and no shoes? Don't forget it is your kit and you can change its contents as you think best to accommodate the seasons.
Regardless of the need for your survival clothing there are a few things to consider.

• Your local or planned environment.
• Time of year regarding climate.
• Space and weight limitations.
• Cost.

One of the current philosophies regarding outdoor clothing is the layering concept; wherein a variety of lighter weight materials are used to layer your body. These allow for a range of temperature and body moisture changes and are pretty lightweight overall. With the advent of modern materials this seems to be an ideal solution for inclusion in any bug-out bag; however, the cost of some of the new materials is rather high.
Materials: If cost is a factor or you decide to use your "surplus normal clothing", consider the materials of your clothing. "Cotton kills" is a common saying among outdoors and survival books and rightfully so. In most temperate climates I suggest a light weight wool pants and shirt. They are warmer in the winter than jeans and even the people who live in the Sahara Desert in the above 100 degree weather prefer wool. The scales on the outside of wool fibers break up surface tension, and resist wetting. The lanolin (oil) on wool also helps resist water, and in olden days, oiled wool sweaters (with extra lanolin added back after the material was made) were the standard for cold, wet conditions.
Clothing fit: Tight clothing in any situation restrict your movements, is very uncomfortable after wearing for awhile (i.e. emergency shelter) and can cause pressure sores and even boils in extended wear. I also suggest forgoing baggy clothing that seems to catch or get caught on every bush, stick or damaged building materials. I suggest forgetting the cargo pants, over-sized shirts and the billowing skirts.
What to Wear: The basic clothing to include in your kit is a long sleeve shirt and extra pants and with a change of underwear and socks. I also suggest a down vest (very warm, rather cheap, and compresses into a very small package) &/or a wool sweater. Deserts and even jungle mountains get cold at night. Hypothermia is a constant danger anytime the temperature gets as low as 50 degrees Fahrenheit. Toss in rain and perhaps inability to have a fire that first night out. (Remember you are planning on surviving under extreme circumstances).
Gloves: Sturdy work gloves are recommended as it would be good to have a pair around for doing chores such as moving that debris out of the way, woodcraft in the unforgiving wilderness, and warmth.
Boots: Toss in a pair of boots that you've broken in and are completely comfortable in wearing because the blisters that you will form from trying to break in the boots in a survival scenario will present a danger. Military combat boots are probably going to be a good bet as well. They'll hold up in combat and they're extremely comfortable.
A belt: Again, simple, but overlooked. In addition to their original intent, which is still quite important (holding up your pants), the belt can give you a place to hang holsters, survival packs, and in worst case scenarios can be used as a very effective tourniquet or rigging.
A hat: Preferably a floppy hiking style hat. Assuming that your survival is spent out of doors a simple hat will work wonders to help prevent sunburn because a nasty sunburn on the back of ones neck can limit the range of motion to the head and cause a distracting bit of easily avoided discomfort. Consider a Gore-Tex hat if cost is not an issue fornot only will it keeps you dry, but you can also carry water in it.
A bandanna: This is one "survival tool" I suggest putting into any survival kit. Even if not worn, a bandanna can make for an excellent second hat, neck protection, worn as a dust mask, signaling tool, bandage, tourniquet or a number of other uses that may present themselves.
Basic principles of cold weather survival: It is more difficult for you to satisfy your basic water, food and shelter needs in a cold environment than in a warm environment. Even if you have the basic requirements, you must also have adequate protective clothing to survive.
You must not only have enough clothing to protect you from the cold, you must also know how to maximize the warmth you get from it. For example, always keep your head covered. You can lose 40 percent to 45 percent of body heat from an unprotected head and even more from the unprotected neck, wrists and ankles. These areas of the body are good radiators of heat and have very little insulating fat. "If your feet are cold, put a hat on" is a very old and true statement. The body will rob peripheral blood supply to keep the brain at a constant temperature thereby allowing the hands and feet to go cold (or even freeze) and then the extremities.
There are four basic principles to follow to keep warm. An easy way to remember these basic principles is to use the word "COLD" -
C - Keep clothing clean.
O - Avoid overheating.
L - Wear clothes loose and in layers.
D - Keep clothing dry.
C - Keep clothing clean. This principle is always important for sanitation and comfort. In winter, it is also important from the standpoint of warmth. Clothes matted with dirt and grease lose much of their insulation value. Heat can escape more easily from the body through the clothing's crushed or filled up air pockets.
O - Avoid overheating. When you get too hot, you sweat and your clothing absorbs the moisture. This affects your warmth in two ways: dampness decreases the insulation quality of clothing and as sweat evaporates, your body cools. Adjust your clothing so that you do not sweat. Do this by partially opening your parka or jacket, by removing an inner layer of clothing, by removing heavy outer mittens or by throwing back your parka hood or changing to lighter headgear. The head and hands act as efficient heat dissipaters when overheated.
L - Wear your clothing loose and in layers. Wearing tight clothing and footgear restricts blood circulation and invites cold injury. It also decreases the volume of air trapped between the layers, reducing its insulating value. Several layers of lightweight clothing are better than one equally thick layer of clothing, because the layers have dead-air space between them. The dead-air space provides extra insulation. Also, layers of clothing allow you to take off or add clothing layers to prevent excessive sweating or to increase warmth.
D - Keep clothing dry. In cold temperatures, your inner layers of clothing can become wet from sweat and your outer layer, if not water repellent, can become wet from snow and frost melted by body heat. Wear water-repellent outer clothing, if available. It will shed most of the water collected from melting snow and frost. Before entering a heated shelter, brush off the snow and frost. Despite the precautions you take, there will be times when you cannot keep from getting wet. At such times, drying your clothing may become a major problem. You can place damp socks or mittens, unfolded, near your body so that your body heat can dry them. In a campsite, hang damp clothing inside the shelter near the top, using drying lines or improvised racks. You may even be able to dry each item by holding it before an open fire. Dry leather items slowly. If no other means are available for drying your boots, put them between your sleeping bag shell and liner. Your body heat will help to dry the leather.
Survival Clothing: You'll probably never have to use animal skins for survival clothing. You might never lose your shoes and need to glue tree bark to your feet with pine sap for hiking. Still, knowing how to improvise a few basic pieces of survival clothing can make you more comfortable, and possibly save your life.
Usually, you'll do better to look first at what you have, before looking to kill animals for their skins, or weaving grass skirts. If you have a sleeping bag, it can double as a coat - just wrap it around you. Socks can be mittens, and garbage bags can be made into snow pants.
A garbage bag can also be a raincoat. Otherwise, ties bundles of grass tightly together along a string or strips of cloth, and then wrap it around your shoulders. This will repel a light rain. You can fashion a rain hood of birch bark as well.
In the desert you can make a sun-hat of large leaves, like those from a fan palm. String some together to wrap around your shoulders to prevent sunburn.
In the cold, insulation is the important principle here. You can stuff a jacket, shirt, sweater or pants with dry leaves, milkweed down, bracken ferns or almost anything that creates a lot of "dead air space." It's better if you have two layers to sandwich it between, but being itchy is better than being frozen in any case.
In a jam, you can also use the flat leaves of cattail plants to weave a vest that will block the wind and some rain. Two bread bags full of milkweed down or other silky plant fibers make warm mittens (tie them at the wrists). A plastic bag full of the same could be tied onto your head as a hat.
When trekking off into a wilderness area or preparing your bug-out or car kit, ensure your plans incorporate proper survival clothing. Getting caught with your pants down in a social gathering may be embarrassing, but getting caught with your pants down in a survival situation may cost you your life.

-Jerry B Blaine

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