Recent Posts
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At the end of October, bats get a week of recognition. The timing coincides with Halloween, but we should really celebrate bats all year long. Why? Because bats are very cool, very unique, and very important to ecosystems around the world. With more than 1,300 species of bats, there’s a lot of diversity, but the…
Posted in: ANR -
Believe it or not, most households have vampires greedily drinking energy and driving up electric bills. They may look small and harmless, like that little light on the cordless tool battery recharger or the idling computer waiting to be stirred to life. But collectively, energy vampires can increase monthly household electric bills by a monstrous…
Posted in: ANR -
Dark mornings and evenings and colder temperatures at night let us know that winter is on the way. It may seem paradoxical, but October to December is the time to plant spring-flowering bulbs. That’s because most types of spring-flowering bulbs need 3-4 months of cold to stimulate those cheerful flowers to bloom. Where to plant…
Posted in: ANR -
Floating row covers and low hoop houses can extend the gardening season later into the fall and can help gardeners get a head start on early spring plantings. They work by capturing ground heat and keeping it around the plants under the covering. These temporary structures can increase the temperature inside the hoop house by…
Posted in: ANR -
Some recent headlines caught my attention, and as September is National Preparedness Month, I thought I would revisit them in the context of emergency preparedness and prevention. Sponsored by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), National Preparedness Month is a campaign to raise awareness of potential emergencies and disasters and encourage people to take actions…
Posted in: ANR -
Heather Haines, 4-H Agent, UGA Extension Forsyth County Many people do not realize that Georgia is home to more timber acreage and privately owned timber acreage than any other state. In fact, Georgia’s forest industry contributed $41.3 billion to the state’s economy in 2021. Each year, the Georgia Forestry Commission consults with landowners to help…
Posted in: 4-H -
A clean kitchen helps prevent the spread of bacteria. Dangerous bacteria can lurk around countertops, surface areas of the kitchen, and on large and small appliances. Bacteria can be on a surface that appears to be clean. These bacteria can contaminate food and cause serious illness. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) conducted a…
Posted in: FACS -
What makes a tree hazardous? In forest and natural environments, dying trees drop limbs, fall or collapse, and continue to contribute to the ecosystem. In settings where people are present, however, falling limbs and trees can cause injury, death, damage, and economic loss. If a failing tree or part of that tree is likely fall…
Posted in: ANR -
Heather N. Kolich, ANR Agent, UGA Extension Forsyth County While autumn is still a few weeks away, proper care in late summer and early fall helps your bermudagrass, centipedegrass, or zoysiagrass lawn enter dormancy at the appropriate time, protects against cold injury, prevents winter weeds, and reduces disease problems during spring green-up. Stop applying nitrogen.…
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The Georgia Department of Agriculture (GDA), the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences (CAES) 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. GDA, USDA and…
Posted in: ANR