Nearly 1,000 species of bats are known throughout the world, and approximately 40 species inhabit the United States. Bats are beneficial because they are efficient predators of insects. A single bat, for instance, may consume as many as 2,000 insects every night. Because flying insects are not active during the…
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People across the country have received unsolicited packages of seeds. The packages are being sent by mail and may have Chinese writing on them. The Georgia Department of Agriculture has been notified that numerous Georgia residents have received unsolicited packages containing seeds that appear to have originated from China. The…
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Every summer, we receive calls about ants getting into vegetable gardens and crawling all over people’s plants. In particular, okra and southern peas seem to be a common problem for nuisance ants. Ants are attracted to the sugary nectar produced in flowers and may also be attracted to other sap-feeding…
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The yellownecked caterpillar is a common pest of shade trees and shrubs. It is found throughout the eastern United States. It feeds on a variety of trees including basswood, birch, elm, honeylocust, oak, maple, and walnut. This insect is also destructive on the foliage of blueberry, apple, and other fruit…
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The most important part of landscape disease management is identifying the problem. Eighty percent of all plant disorders are the result of the inability of a plant to adapt to its environment. Knowing the problem, whether it is stress related and/or disease related, begins with being able to correctly identify…
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Blueberries are one of the most popular backyard fruits for Georgia because they are relatively low maintenance compared to other fruit species. However, there is one particular disease issue known as “mummy berry” that can be problematic for blueberry growers. The disease is easily recognized when the fruit begins to…
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If calcium is deficient in developing tomato fruits, an irreversible condition known as blossom-end rot will develop. Blossom-end rot occurs when cell wall calcium is deficient during early fruit development, and results in cell wall membrane collapse. Blossom end rot is a physiological disorder of tomatoes and not caused by…
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Question: Is it safe to use hay and manure in my vegetable garden? NO! That’s the short answer I’ve finally settled on with all the calls and plant samples our office has had to troubleshoot from vegetable gardens in recent weeks. Please help tell your friends and neighbors they’re probably…
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The local Extension office has received numerous calls in recent weeks about warm-season lawns that are struggling to green-up this spring. Based on conversations with my colleagues, this appears to be a wide spread issue throughout North Georgia. What we are observing is that some lawns are very patchy and…
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