ANR
-
Originally crossbred to improve honeybee health in Brazil, Africanized honeybees instead became incredibly defensive. They were accidentally released in the 1950s, and the so-called “killer bees” were spotted in the U.S. in the mid-1980s, creating panic across the southern states. There have been new sightings of the bees in the Southeast, but are they really…
Posted in: ANR -
Heather N. Kolich, ANR Agent, UGA Extension Forsyth County Sometimes, I walk through a store and just shake my head. In July, Halloween merchandise filled the center aisles of local shops. Before Labor Day, Christmas items took over entire store sections. Do we really need to prepare for the next season months in advance? When…
Posted in: ANR -
School is back in session and autumn is only a few weeks away. If you have a warm-season lawn, now is the time to get it ready for winter. Proper care in late summer and early fall helps bermudagrass, centipedegrass, and zoysiagrass lawns enter dormancy at the appropriate time, protects against cold injury, prevents winter…
Posted in: ANR -
This August 2025 marks the 7th year of the Great Southeast Pollinator Census (GSPC). This annual citizen science event started in 2019 as the Great Georgia Pollinator Census, but has now grown to include five states. South Carolina, through Clemson University Extension, joined the project for the 2022 census, followed by North Carolina State University…
Posted in: ANR -
While pesticides should never be the first tool we reach for when managing pests in our homes and landscapes, there are times when pesticide use is warranted. Knowledge and planning are necessary to develop an effective and safe pest control strategy. Types of pesticides There are several types of pesticides, and each type contains ingredients…
Posted in: ANR -
About this time last year, I wrote about a couple of very visible invasive plants. One was Japanese stiltgrass (Microstegium vimineum), a sun- and shade-tolerant grass that has spread so far it is known by several names, including Nepalese browntop, Asian stilt grass, and Chinese packing grass. Japanese stiltgrass is native to Asia and is…
Posted in: ANR -
Earlier this month, I had the opportunity to go out and do NestWatch monitoring with the Forsyth County Master Naturalist Extension Volunteers (MNEV). After months of spending all of my daylight hours in buildings and the car, I thoroughly enjoyed spending a couple of hours walking the Bluebird Trail at Chattahoochee Pointe Park, breathing fresh…
Posted in: ANR -
The firefly is probably the first insect I learned to identify. On long-ago summer nights, my cousins and I would chase and capture lightning bugs, as we called them, in cupped hands and watch them glow. We didn’t care that fireflies are ecologically beneficial – the larvae eat garden and lawn pests like slugs and…
Posted in: ANR -
Small agents in nature can have powerful consequences Through large, visible events such as hurricanes, earthquakes, and tsunamis, nature reminds us of its power. Nature can also affect us through small and invisible agents, like insects and parasites. Insect bites and parasite infestations can have irreversible, lifelong impacts. For many of these, prevention is the…
Posted in: ANR -
As spring advances, I’ve heard and seen the return of many migratory birds. Bats are active as insects emerge from overwintering in the soil, leaflitter, rotting logs, hollow plant stems, and other hidey-holes. Frogs and toads are calling. The warmer temperatures also lure snakes from their tunnels, causing dismay for many people. Fear is a…
Posted in: ANR