As trees bloom across Montana, many backyard apple and pear growers wonder when they should spray their trees to avoid having worms in their fruit when harvest comes. Montana State University specialists with MSU Extension and the College of Agriculture work to answer that question annually, based on temperature and pest emergence.

The worm most frequently found in fruit like apples or pears is the larvae of the codling moth, a common pest across the state. Because moths are cold-blooded, their life cycle from egg to adult is influenced by environmental temperatures. To accurately gauge when producers should implement control methods, researchers use models or traps baited with pheromones to determine where the moths are in their life cycle and extrapolate when they may become a threat to fruit.

“When trees start to bloom, folks get excited about protecting their fruit,” says Katrina Mendrey, orchard program manager at MSU’s Western Agricultural Research Center in Corvallis. “But spraying insecticides during bloom not only doesn’t control the target pest, it harms bees and, hence, reduces fruit pollination.” 

Mendrey advises that growers be patient and wait for temperatures to rise until moths reach the appropriate life stage for various controls to work. Those controls include wrapping and bagging fruit as well as conventional pesticide spraying.

Scientists at the WARC and MSU Extension monitor temperatures and moth emergence in several areas across the state, including the Flathead, Gallatin, Clark Fork, Missoula and Bitterroot valleys. As more data become available, they will post information about when to apply chemical controls, as well as various ways to reduce the number of worms in your apples, online at agresearch.montana.edu/warc.

Additionally, WARC hopes to work with local garden centers and nurseries selling chemical products to advise growers on accurate timing and use of controls while also protecting important pollinators. 

“As with any pest, growers must use several different tools for preventing damage. Spraying alone is never the answer,” says Mendrey. She said bagging whole trees or individual fruit may be an important option for backyard growers hoping to grow a few pristine apples for fresh eating. The WARC has conducted trials for two years exploring the potential for bagging fruit and will be building on this research in the coming months using whole tree bagging methods.

To find out more about Montana orchards, growing apples in Montana and codling moth control, visit www.mtapples.org/grow.

The Bozeman Symphony presents its first-ever contemporary music series, Current Commotion, for its inaugural performance at the Rialto, a concert venue on Main Street in Bozeman’s bustling downtown district. This unique series aims to explore new music by living composers from across the globe, including the Symphony’s Composer-in-Residence Scott Lee’s Hurry Up and Wait, Andrei Pushkarev’s A Little Jazz Waltz, Kimberly Osberg’s Interplay, and much more. This hour-long program curated by Music Director Norman Huynh and Scott Lee is presented in a cabaret-style format featuring musicians from the Bozeman Symphony orchestra. 

 
“It is our duty to push the limits of our musicians, listeners, and genre. Current Commotion is an experimental series that allows the Bozeman Symphony to be on the cutting edge of our industry,” said Huynh. 
 
Huynh is honored to welcome fellow Peabody Institute graduate and dynamic composer Scott Lee to co-curate the Current Commotion program. Lee was announced as the Bozeman Symphony’s first-ever Composer-in-Residence in early February 2021, and will begin his week-long residency in Bozeman on May 22, 2021. 

“I couldn’t be more excited for this concert of incredible and exciting music, and to have the opportunity to experience the wonderful people and beautiful scenery of Bozeman for the very first time,” said Lee. 
 
During his residency, Lee is commissioned by the Symphony to write a piece inspired by the unique spirit and energy of Bozeman that will open the much-anticipated 2021 – 2022 concert season. Lee believes opportunities like Current Commotion and writing this world premiere piece for the Bozeman Symphony are pivotal for composers to keep symphonic music alive for decades to come. 

 
“Living composers are the lynchpin that keeps classical music connected to our current age, writing in contemporary idioms that speak directly to modern audiences. It’s essential that orchestras champion new music by living composers, as otherwise they become irrelevant as institutions dedicated only to performing the music of ancient history,” said Lee. 

 
As Music Director Huynh plans to expand the Symphony’s concert offerings each season, Current Commotion will be a staple to attract new audiences beyond classical to this new and innovative series featuring living composers. 
 
The free livestream concert, Current Commotion, will premiere on the Bozeman Symphony’s website, YouTube, and Facebook pages on Thursday, May 27, 2021, at 7:30 PM. Limited in-person Current Commotion tickets are available to purchase on the Bozeman Symphony website (bozemansymphony.org), or via (406) 585-9774 or info@bozemansymphony.org. The Symphony wishes to thank Rob and Lynn Maher for sponsoring this performance series in addition to Donald B. Gimbel and Ben and Barbara Phinney for sponsoring the Composer-in-Residence program. 

 
Norman Huynh, Music Director - American conductor Norman Huynh continues to establish his reputation as one of classical music’s most adventurous ambassadors. Hailed for the exuberance with which he leads orchestras across Europe, Asia, and North America, Huynh has received equal renowned for his ability to attract new audiences to the orchestra. The 2020 season inaugurated his tenure as Music Director of the Bozeman Symphony Orchestra, joining an existing appointment as Associate Conductor for the Oregon Symphony.

Huynh has attained international prominence in the first years of his career, most recently through an invitation to the Bruno Walter Young Conductor Preview, a selective showcase hosted by the League of American Orchestras. 
 
Scott Lee, Composer - Praised as “colorful” and “engaging” (The Philadelphia Inquirer), Scott Lee's music often takes inspiration from popular genres, exploring odd-meter grooves and interlocking hockets while featuring pointillistic orchestration and extended performance techniques. His music marries the traditional intricacy of classical form with the more body-centered and visceral language of contemporary popular music, creating complex music of the present with broad appeal. The Berkshire Edge described the world premiere of his Slack Tide at Tanglewood Music Center as having “moments both of calm and maximum tension...we’ve never heard anything like it.”  

 
Lee has worked with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, the North Carolina Symphony, the Portland Symphony Orchestra, Symphony in C, the JACK Quartet, yMusic, the Da Capo Chamber Players, and pop artist Ben Folds. Recent commissioners include the Tanglewood Music Center, Aspen Music Festival, Atlanta Symphony Youth Orchestra, loadbang, and the Raleigh Civic Symphony. Notable honors include a Charles Ives Scholarship from the American Academy of Arts and Letters and two ASCAP Morton Gould Young Composer Awards. Lee is currently Assistant Professor of Composition at the University of Florida School of Music. Lee earned a PhD in Composition at Duke University, and also holds degrees from the Peabody Institute and Vanderbilt University. Learn more at scottleemusic.net. 

 Have you ever had a low-key obsession with collecting something? If so, your shelves are probably packed with collectibles. Or, they sit somewhere in a box waiting for their time. In case you’re not attached to those items, you might be wondering if someone’s willing to pay handsomely for old toys or comic books. The good news is, the answer is most probably yes. Keep in mind, though: the cases of selling an item for several million dollars do happen once in a while, but they are rare. Still, a toy that costs a buck or two at a second-hand store can easily turn out to be worth several hundred dollars.

Where to Find Pricey Collectibles

Going straight to eBay may be tempting, but finding something valuable for $1 would be impossible there unless you know exactly what you are looking for. And money can be scarce in a student’s life, especially if you need to get help with studies, turning to the essay writing service EssayPro, or hiring a tutor. So, instead, check these places out:
• Your (or your parents’) attic. You probably collected something when you were a kid. These nostalgia-inducing items will likely find buyers who miss their childhood.

• Flea markets. Depending on the market itself, you can meet people selling old books, coins, etc. The price will depend on your luck: some items can be almost free while others will cost quite a fortune.

• Garage sales. This is another way people get rid of stuff they don’t need, so there can be a sweet deal hiding in there somewhere.

• Second-hand/charity/thrift stores. Prepare to get stuck there looking for rare items for hours. Contrary to popular belief, though, many of them are either a bit used or in mint condition.

4 Types of Collectibles that May Be Worth a Top Dollar

Say, you have a bit of money and you want to turn it into hundreds of dollars with a good investment. Apart from getting professional help with your studies (like hiring essay writers), consider getting into the collecting game. Here are four collectibles you should look out for.

1. Comic Books
Action Comics #1 featuring the first appearance of Superman holds the current record for the most expensive comic book. It was sold off an eBay auction for $3.2 million in 2014. Another copy of the same issue is worth $1.5 million – although the content is the same, this copy wasn’t in such a mint condition as its more expensive counterpart.Of course, it’s unlikely your childhood collection has such an expensive specimen. But if your old comic books are in good condition, they can easily be worth several hundred dollars. As always, the key is to find the right buyer.

2. Action Figures & Toys
The list of action figures and toys that can turn out to be worth hundreds or even thousands of dollars is very, very long. Some limited-edition Beanie Babies were sold off for hundreds of thousands of dollars, like the one commemorating the death of Princess Diana ($500,000). Other honorable mentions include complete LEGO sets and separate rare LEGO pieces, Happy Meal toys, Star Wars action figures, and Barbie dolls. For example, something as small as a red LEGO Darth Vader helmet was sold off for $400.

3. Stamps
They are the most clichéd collectibles out there. When you hear someone’s a collector, your mind is 99% likely to present you with a mental picture of an album filled with stamps. However stereotypical collecting stamps is, they can be worth millions, too. (This would be enough not only to cover anyone’s tuition fees but also to get help with studies at EssayPro.com whenever needed.) The most expensive stamp ever sold off was the British Guiana 1c Magenta – it cost its buyer $10 million! Yet, some stamps may turn out to be practically worthless. To avoid putting together a collection only a bit more expensive than stamps’ original price (or underselling what you already have), you need to know your way around the topic. Still, most old - and rather rare - stamps can attract a buyer ready to give you a couple of hundred bucks for them.

4. Coins & Banknotes
The most expensive coin, the Flowing Hair dollar, was sold off for more than $10 million. The priciest banknote (1890 Grand Watermelon Bill), in its turn, cost its buyer around $3.3. million. When looking for the rarest coins and banknotes, keep an eye out for the ones that came as a limited edition (to commemorate an anniversary of a historic event, for example). Funnily enough, coins and banknotes made with some sort of imperfection are probably going to be worth more than their perfect counterparts.

What Makes the Price Tag So High?

Why do some toys get sold off for half a million while others can bring $10 in the best-case scenario? Well, three factors come into play when it comes to pricing:

• Rarity. If it was or still is a dime a dozen, forget about putting up a high price tag for it. The rarer the item is, the more it’s worth – that’s the basic rule. So, look out for limited-edition items or the ones that have some sort of imperfection.

• Condition. Tear-and-wear is inevitable if it was someone’s childhood toy, but it decreases the price. Make sure the items you intend to sell are in mint or at least good condition. The priciest items are the ones that are as good as new.

• Demand. Just because something is rare and in good condition, there’s no guarantee you’ll find a buyer. So, it all depends on who’s interested in what you have to sell.

How does one understand how much a collectible is worth? Turning to experts can help out. However, the most efficient way to know how much something is really worth is by putting it up on eBay.

At the end of the day, it’s not so much about what you think it’s worth; it’s all about how much someone is willing to pay for it.

Summer is the perfect season for spending a large amount of your free time outside. Whether it’s enjoying the sun, playing sports, or any other activity, summer just brings everybody outside for a great time. That is until summertime pests arrive. Likely one of the worst things about summer, these pests can ruin an outdoor excursion, whether through stings, bites, infections, damages, or the like. Luckily for you, there are a few ways you can modify your yard to help keep it free of these summertime pests.

What are the most common summertime pests?

In addition to bringing humans out, summer brings out a few summer exclusive pests. These are your standard fare, including bed bugs, spiders, squirrels, snakes, ants, mosquitoes, ticks, and more. Each of these pests, which as you can see, are mostly insect pests, have their own unique ways of being captured or prevented from bugging you.

We understand it can be quite annoying to take care of these pests, especially with the fear of being bitten or stung. Many of these animals are active all year long, such as ticks, spiders, or ants, although others become much more active during warm weather. These would be your wasps or bees, snakes, and termites. While it’s important to set up a year-round defense for most pests, there’s an especially great need to set up specific preventions for summertime pests, which can be much more difficult to protect against.

How can summertime pests be prevented from living in yards?

The easiest way to get rid of these pests is to take care of preventions before the season begins. While it’s still possible to take care of summertime pests during summer itself, it’s much easier to remove them in advance, by straight up preventing them from calling your yard home. There are a few really easy ways to keep these pests at bay, including:

Removing standing water: mosquitoes are the most common pests to come from standing water, although these water sources can also breed dangerous bacteria or parasites which can spread to other summertime pests. Birdbaths should be changed every few days, rainwater should be removed, and things like buckets should be flipped over.

Add outdoor fans: ceiling fans have exploded in popularity over the last few years, thanks in part to their cooling and prevention benefits. Fans are great at warding off flies and mosquitoes, as the little pests just can’t keep up with the strong wind.

Tidy your yard: cleaning and maintaining your yard is useful for warding off overgrowing weeds and pests alike. Tall grasses can harbor ticks or fleas, alongside snakes or other animals. Untrimmed bushes or trees can also allow pests, such as squirrels, to climb more easily into your home. That’s why squirrel control measures are important to implement.

Remove outdoor food: this step is most useful for the largest pests, such as raccoons and rodents. Removing food from open positions outside is incredibly useful year-round, although it can help more in the summer, thanks to wild animals being more common during the season.

Ask the professionals: even with these tips, nothing beats calling the pros. Several of these summertime pests can be dangerous, likely one reason why you haven’t yet cleared your yard of them. Calling the experts might be the best option for you, as wildlife control and removal providers might hold services for squirrel control, snake removal, nest removal, prevention treatment, yard maintenance, and the like. These guys can also add special products to your yard, blocking off entry and exit ways for pests, clearing homes, and removing animals. When in doubt, let the experts handle it. Learn more about professional wildlife removal here.

How can summertime pests be removed, after summer begins?

As we’ve said, it’s much harder to remove summertime pests once summer begins, but it’s still possible. Most of these recommendations still work, although it might take a birth cycle before any notable change happens. Take mosquitoes, which, with removed standing water, will likely die off after a generation. There’s also the chance that you can get in at the right time for other pests, including cutting branches and taking care of your yard, warding off squirrels, raccoons, snakes, and more.

There are always the guaranteed services of professional teams though, which can move in to individually remove animals that might be disrupting you. When prevention and active rejection doesn’t work, you can always call an expert to physically take care of and remove the problem for you. Luckily, prevention works most of the time, although it’s important to remember to be proactive towards removing summertime pests.

If your business, nonprofit, or amazing organization is hosting, organizing, or promoting summer events in the Bozeman area you NEED to GET SEEN on the Greater Yellowstone Events Calendar online and in print!

Adding events to our calendar is FREE and easy. You can add an event as a visitor, or create an account on our site, log in, add events and you will be able to go back later to edit them. If you've voted in our Bozeman's Choice Reader Poll you already have an account! Create an account here, add events starting here. Events added online by the 20th of the month will appear online AND in print!

Our office will be closed Monday and Tuesday, May 16 & 17, all newly added events will be approved and go online on Wednesday, May 18.

Our creative deadline for print advertising is Thursday, May 20, 2021 for the June issue of Bozeman Magazine. Print advertisers receive FREE featured events on our homepage as well as other perks and incentives. Email Angie at angie at bozemanmagazine.com for advertising information!

Since 2007 we’ve been helping local folks grow their businesses through the power of print and online media. We get events SEEN and help them succeed!

Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks reminds landowners, watershed groups and others that this summer’s deadline to apply for Future Fisheries Improvement Program grants is May 31.

The goal of FWP's Future Fisheries Program is to restore rivers, streams and lakes to improve Montana’s wild fish habitat. Entities can receive funding for qualifying projects that benefit Montana's wild fish. Each project is assessed by an independent review panel and final funding decisions are made by the Fish and Wildlife Commission.

To learn more about the Future Fisheries Improvement Program, and to download the grant application form, go to the FFIP website at https://fwp.mt.gov/ffip, email FWPFFIP@mt.gov or call the program manager at 406-444-2432.

Completed Future Fisheries Improvement Program applications must be received on or before 11:59 p.m. on May 31 and should be sent electronically to FWPFFIP@mt.gov. Paper applications can be sent to Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks, Fisheries Habitat Bureau, P.O. Box 200701, Helena, MT 59620-0701.

Many people have had the following experience: you’re driving along, and if you’re not paying close attention, your vehicle might run over a pothole in the middle of the street. Maybe it’s enough to cause you to bounce up and down, and it does no further harm. A huge pothole can damage your car quite a bit, though, and it could injure you too.

You also might hit a pothole while you’re out on your bike. It can happen if you don’t have your eyes on the roadway, but you might also have little choice but to run over one if traffic surrounds you and it’s not safe to swerve out of the way.

You might have pothole accident questions. We’ll cover a few related topics right now.

You Must Be Careful When Trying to Aid Pothole Crash Victims

Let’s say you successfully avoided a big pothole, but another car didn’t. They struck the pothole and blew a tire, and when the driver gets out, you can see they’ve injured themselves. As a Good Samaritan, you decide to pull over, get out of your car, and help them.

That’s noble, but if you ever do this, you must be careful. Remember that you’re probably still in the middle of an active roadway. Cars will keep coming along, and if the drivers aren’t paying attention as carefully as they should be, they could hit either you or the damaged car because they’re going too fast and can’t stop in time.

If something like this happens, you may need to contact a vehicle or pedestrian pothole accident lawyer who can speak to you about your rights and what to do next to recover damages.

You Can Follow a Certain Protocol if a Pothole Injures You

If you’re the one who didn’t see the pothole or couldn’t avoid it, then try to pull your car over to the roadside and out of traffic’s flow if you can. If you were riding a bike or walking when you hit the pothole or fell into it, do the same thing.

Once you’re out of the way, you can call 911, assuming you have a smartphone with you. If you don’t, you can ask someone nearby to call for help on your behalf.

As you wait for assistance to arrive, you might see if you can get witness information, like names and phone numbers. Those witnesses will likely come in handy if you need to bring a lawsuit against an individual or entity who should have known about the pothole and fixed it.

Who is the Most Likely Pothole Accident Victim?

You usually think about cars as hitting potholes, but cyclists can encounter them as well. It’s also not inconceivable that a pedestrian could hit one. Some people walk or jog in the street if there is no sidewalk, as is the case on some major thoroughfares.

Whether you’re driving, cycling, or walking, though, a pothole can harm you, the vehicle you’re operating, or both. A deep pothole can cause a twisted ankle or a broken wrist. It can total a vehicle if you lose control after you hit it and run into a lamppost, a parked car, or some other inanimate object nearby.

Who Can You Sue if This Happens to You?

Liability if you hurt yourself or damage your vehicle after hitting a pothole is not always the easiest thing to determine. If you’re going to an establishment, such as a store, and you turn into their private driveway and hit a pothole there, you can usually bring a lawsuit against that store. Most reasonable people would expect that the store would repair their driveway and keep it hazard-free.

If you’re on a public street when you hit a pothole, and you hurt yourself or damage your car, you must sue the city or township since it happened when you were on public property. You’ll need to find a lawyer and talk to them about this to figure out how best to proceed.

What Else Can You Do if You See a Pothole While Driving?

If you see a pothole while driving, and you avoid hitting it, it’s always a good idea to note where it is and to contact someone to fix it. If it’s on a private driveway, you can contact the home or business’s owner. If it’s on a public street, you can call that town or city’s public works department and warn them.

Montana State University has been ranked among the best-performing universities in the United States by a global higher education analytics website.

According to international rankings organization QS, MSU is ranked between 201-250 in its second annual QS World University Rankings: USA. Last year MSU placed in the 250-300 group. Universities were evaluated on 17 metrics in four categories: employability; diversity and internationalization; learning experience; and research. Indicators include faculty gender diversity, proportion of undergraduate students receiving Pell grants, student ethnicity mix, academic reputation, number of Fulbright recipients and Pell grant student graduation rates.

Universities receive points for each category, and each institution’s overall score is the average of the four, out of 100.

MSU was ranked No.1 in the state of Montana and performed among the top 769 considered institutions nationally in the QS US University Rankings. Driving MSU’s rise in the ranking this year were a strong showing in “learning experience,” with a score of 50.9, and a top 150 ranking in “research.”

MSU was ranked in the doctoral university classification, which includes institutions designated as doctoral universities by the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education. To fall into that category, institutions must have awarded at least 20 research/scholarship doctoral degrees during the year, or at least 30 professional practice doctoral degrees in at least two programs.

The largest university in Montana, MSU provides undergraduate and graduate students with opportunities to engage in hands-on research with world-class scientists and researchers. MSU is a national leader in producing winners of the Goldwater Scholarship, the nation’s premier award for undergraduates in math and science fields. MSU students have also earned other prestigious scholarships, including Rhodes Scholarships, Truman Scholarships, Udall scholarships and Boren awards, among others.

MSU offers more than 225 academic options within its colleges and programs. The university is designated as R1 in the Carnegie Classification for "very high research activity," making it one of only 131 nationwide in that category and the only one in the five-state region of Montana, Idaho, Wyoming and North and South Dakota — and one of only two nationally also classified as Very High Undergraduate enrollment. For seven years in a row, MSU’s research expenditures have topped $100 million.

QS Quacquarelli Symonds provides services, analytics and insight to the global higher education sector to boost educational achievement, international mobility and career development.

Montana State University’s Western Transportation Institute is promoting the GoGallatin Commuter Challenge for two weeks in May as part of its Gallatin Commuter Project. The friendly competition encourages individuals and teams associated with businesses and organizations in Bozeman and the surrounding areas to log miles biking, walking, taking public transportation or carpooling.

The challenge, known as the “GoGallatin Challenge,” starts on May 10 and ends on May 21, which is national Bike to Work Day.

The challenge aims to promote active, sustainable and healthy forms of transportation.

“Biking, walking, running and rolling on a skateboard, rollerblades, scooters and more, provide many different benefits, including getting fresh air, having fun, burning calories, reducing stress, saving money and reducing your environmental impact,” said Matthew Madsen, research associate with the Western Transportation Institute. “This year, we are promoting all forms of commuting, as well as encouraging people to ‘get up and go.’”

The challenge is open to anyone working or living in the Gallatin Valley, and there is no cost to enter. Workplace teams can win team trophies by encouraging the highest percentage of employees at their workplace to log their trips. Individual participants are also welcome to participate and will be eligible to win prizes from local businesses.

For the purposes of the challenge, a one-way journey to or from work, the grocery store, or for another utilitarian reason made by bike, bus, foot, carpool, or other sustainable transportation method counts as a trip. Also this year, any bike ride, walk, run or roll solely for exercise that lasts for at least 20 minutes counts as a trip.

Registration is now open on the GoGallatin website. For more information or to register, visit gogallatin.org/#/challenges/607a1d7335db1f489f0337e1 or email gallatincommute@montana.edu.