About

Families AnswerLine at Iowa State University began in the spring of 1975. It was a result of a thesis written by Mary Jo Williams. She was also our first operator.

Our goals have not changed since 1975:

  • We provide immediate answers to questions that are related to home economics and family living
  • We provide unbiased, research based answers to their questions

In the beginning, our information was stored on a card file. The questions and answers on those cards came from the publications that were written by our specialists. Eventually, we went to PFS File by Apple for storage. After l6 years we made a system of notebooks that stored our most often asked questions. Now laptops, books, and in-house data base help operators answer questions.

Our line is open from 9:00am-noon and 1:00pm-4:00pm Monday through Friday. July and August are our busiest months; our slowest months are January and February. The three days before Thanksgiving are also very busy.

We are funded by Iowa State University Extension and Outreach, University of Minnesota Extension, and South Dakota State University Extension. We enjoy helping people in those states. We will also answer questions for callers from any other state that call 515-296-5883.

Our toll free numbers are:

  • Iowa 1-800-262-3804
  • Minnesota 1-800-854-1678
  • South Dakota 1-888-393-6336

Also connect with us on:

facebook  Facebook

 

Twitter icon  Twitter

 

Pinterest  Pinterest

2 thoughts on “About

  1. Please tell me how to get rid of gnats. This year it seems like I have a ton of them by my kitchen sink. I’ve tried buying the “strips”, the little bottle you leave out that they are supposed to go in an die (definitely didn’t work), and now I’ve resorted to spraying them with Raid Flying Insect spray, which I hate because I have to constantly wipe everything down after I use it.

    Also, I work for Buchanan County Extension and sometimes I like to use the information you put in the blog to send to newspapers. Could you please give me the names of the Answer Line staff, and their titles, so I can give proper credit to them when I use the information they post?

    Thanks so much for your help.

  2. Hi Rosemary, you may want to try to clean your drains and set traps for those gnats in the kitchen. Clean the drain by pouring a quantity (think larger rather than smaller, perhaps several quarts) of boiling water down you kitchen drain. If you have a bathroom near the kitchen, you may want to consider that drain too. The water will wash out carbohydrates that may attract those gnats. You will also want to make traps in small bowls. Simply put 1/2 water and 1/2 vinegar in the bowl and add 2 drops of dishwashing liquid (what you use to wash a sink full of dishes). The vinegar attracts the gnats and the soap makes it impossible for the gnats to fly back out of the bowl. You will likely need to change traps every so often. Expect this to take a few days. Remember to keep all fruit and items that may attract those gnats under cover while you are treating for the gnats.
    The AnswerLine staff includes, Beth Marrs, Extension Specialist and Jill Jensen, Extension Specialist and myself, Liz Meimann AnswerLine coordinator.

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AnswerLine

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Email: answer@iastate.edu
Phone: (Monday-Friday, 9 am-noon; 1-4 pm)
1-800-262-3804 (in Iowa)
1-800-854-1678 (in Minnesota)

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