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heavily infestedToH web CAES News
Spotted Lanternfly Control 09/24/24 Jordan Powers
The spotted lanternfly (Lycorma delicatula), an invasive insect pest that first arrived in Pennsylvania in 2014 and has since spread to 16 additional states in the Eastern U.S., has state governments urging residents to be on the lookout and to use caution when moving firewood. The insect’s preference for feeding on the tree of heaven (Ailanthus altissima) — another invasive species — has led to significant pest reservoirs, affecting vineyards and other agricultural sectors, including hardwoods and other ornamental and fruiting trees.
A closeup image of a yellow-legged hornet (Vespa velutina), which was discovered in Georgia in August. It is the first time the invasive insect, which is a voracious predator of honey bees, has been found in the United States. CAES News
Yellow-Legged Hornet 08/21/23 Maria M. Lameiras
The Georgia Department of Agriculture, the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences have confirmed the discovery of a yellow-legged hornet in Georgia for the first time. This is the first detection of live yellow-legged hornets in the open United States.
This female Joro is the first of the species documented in Spalding County. UGA researchers are asking citizen scientists to report Joro sightings at jorowatch.org to track the species' spread throughout Georgia. CAES News
Spider Drift 10/28/22 Ashley N Biles
Since first making an appearance in Georgia in 2014, Joro spiders have steadily expanded their range in Georgia, and now — just in time for Halloween — the spooky-looking species has reached the University of Georgia Research and Education Garden on the UGA Griffin campus.
The Joro Watch team is pursuing a number of approaches to Joro spider research, looking into their impact on native species — like pollinators and native spiders — habitat, lifecycle and management. To help facilitate more conclusive research, UGA experts ask that the public help gather critical data by monitoring spider populations in the environment. (Photo by Carly Mirabile) CAES News
Joro Watch Initiative 09/26/22 Jordan Powers
They have been described as palm-sized, parachuting creatures with the potential to spread up the East Coast. Now dozens of webs are appearing in trees, on fences and in gardens around the Southeast, and social media and message boards are buzzing with Joro spider sightings. Discussions of eradication methods ranging from chemical sprays to “Joro sticks” are rampant. Joro season is here.
Common seasonal pests like (clockwise from top right) fire ants, houseflies, brown marmorated stink bugs and mosquitos (shown in standing water as larvae) can be controlled with simple tips from UGA Cooperative Extension. CAES News
Summer Pests 07/14/21 Alicia Holloway
As a University of Georgia Cooperative Extension agent, I see a lot of insects. People leave jars of them on my desk, send me photos or call me out to their gardens to identify them and give control recommendations.
Blubaugh Lab manager Katherine Hagan and master’s student Allison Stawara scout squash for various beneficial and pest insects as part of a living mulch study at the Durham Horticulture Research Farm in Watkinsville, Georgia. CAES News
Organic Pest Control 07/06/21 Emily Cabrera
The hot, humid climate in the Southeast lends itself to nearly year-round insect, weed and disease pressure, and growing is especially tough if you’re an organic farmer.
In the sculptured resin bee (left), females have a pointed abdomen, while the males have a blunt edge. Both males and females have a striated abdomen with raised bands. The thorax and abdomen of the carpenter bee (right) are connected, bald and smooth. CAES News
Sculptured Resin Bees 05/25/21 Ashley N Biles
University of Georgia entomologists are seeking citizen help to document the presence of the sculptured resin bee — also known as the giant resin bee — an invasive bee that could threaten the native carpenter bee population.
Critical pesticide application training for pest control professionals and producers will go online for 2020. CAES News
Pesticide trainings stay virtual 03/04/21 Sean Montgomery
University of Georgia Cooperative Extension and the Georgia Department of Agriculture are partnering to offer the Using Pesticides Wisely training program in a virtual format again this year.
A supergene is a collection of neighboring genes located on a chromosome that are inherited together due to close genetic linkage. Studying these unique genes is important to understanding the potential causes for differences among the social structure of fire ants, specifically for controlling the species and building upon the existing knowledge base. CAES News
Fire ant supergene 10/15/20 Sean Montgomery
A unique study conducted by University of Georgia entomologists led to the discovery of a distinctive supergene in fire ant colonies that determines whether young queen ants will leave their birth colony to start their own new colony or if they will join one with multiple queens. Researchers also found that ants were more aggressive toward queens who don’t possess the supergene, causing colony workers to kill them. This critical finding opens the door to new pest control methods that may be more efficient in eradicating problematic fire ant colonies. 
Michael Toews, entomology professor and co-director of UGA's Center for Invasive Species and Ecosystem Health, and his graduate student team of Apurba Barman (foreground), Lauren Perez (background, left) and Sarah Hobby inspect sorghum plants near Tifton for signs of invasive sugarcane aphids. CAES News
Unwelcome Visitors 12/26/19 Eric Rangus
Earlier this year, Chuck Bargeron learned how to catch a Burmese python.