As we head into summer, we start to see problems with weeds, diseases and insects in the landscape and around vegetable gardens. Some of these pest problems can be solved without the use of chemicals, but if the pest population reaches damaging levels, using pesticides may be warranted. Remember that using pesticides is safe and legal but requires reading and following label directions in their entirety.

Carpenter bees are a common sight this time of year and can cause aggravation for homeowners. The large, black and yellow bees begin emerging in March, April and May and can cause unsightly damage — and in some cases significant damage — to wooden structures like the eaves of houses, porches and decks.

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 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. 

As the weather cools across the state, several fall insects will begin to take center stage around Georgia homes. Be on the lookout for these nuisance pests and make preparations to deter them from entering your home for the winter.

One of the best things about living above the fall line in Georgia has always been the lack of gnat swarms, but that seems to have changed this spring.

A horse in Lowndes County, Georgia, has tested positive for Eastern equine encephalitis (EEE), one of the most pathogenic among all of the mosquito-borne, encephalitis-causing viruses. EEE is a larger threat below Georgia’s fall line, but rare cases can occur farther north in the state.

The school year has begun, and with it, schools are experiencing an influx of dirt, germs and pests. On Aug. 23, the University of Georgia Structural Pest Management Program (SPM) hosted a School Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Workshop intended to help pest control operators that manage schools in Georgia, Alabama, South Carolina and Tennessee.

A new cockroach species from Turkey has been recorded for the first time in Georgia, according to University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences entomologist Dan Suiter.