Entomology
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The cold weather has left many of us stuck inside and given us a chance to catch up on movies or relax by the fire. However, as we battle cabin fever, another critter is trying desperately to seek shelter for herself and her 500 closest friends: the Asian lady beetle. The Asian lady beetle (Harmonia…
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Chances are you’ve seen a lady beetle, sometimes known better as a “ladybug,” and could pick one out of a lineup. But how much do you really know about them? Are they all female? Do they eat our plants? Why do they come into our house in the fall? Where do they go in the…
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For several years, Georgia scientists have been asking us to keep an eye out for spotted lanternflies. First sighted in Pennsylvania in 2014, these invasive planthopper insects have rapidly spread across 17 states, including Tennessee and North Carolina. On November 14th, the Georgia Department of Agriculture reported the first confirmed sighting of spotted lanternfly in…
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by Carole MacMullan, Fulton County Master Gardener Extension Volunteer This article is part of Garden Buzz, a series from Appen Media and the North Fulton Master Gardeners, where rotating columnists explore horticulture topics like herbs, insects, and wildlife conservation. Find all Garden Buzz articles here. As a child, I can remember the thrill of seeing fireflies…
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Are you a fan of pollinators? Then, we need YOU! The Great Southeast Pollinator Census is your opportunity to provide valuable data on pollinator populations around our great state. Every 3rd weekend in August, Georgians (and now South and North Carolinians, too) record the pollinators they see. UGA faculty use these data to compare changes in…
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If you keep up with the news, you’ve probably heard some buzz about spotted lanternfly. This invasive insect was first seen in Pennsylvania in 2014 and has since spread to 15 states, most recently to North Carolina, where it was detected in 2022. Spotted lanternfly has not been observed yet in Georgia, but entomologists and…
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I was out at Emory University’s Oxford College Organic Farm this morning putting out insect traps in the zucchini patch for an upcoming field day. When you’re stringing up sticky traps in the canopy of big zucchini leaves and digging holes for pitfall traps, you are really up close and personal with the plants…and everything else…
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Have you heard about the impending cicada-pocalypse? In May, periodical cicadas, which only emerge once every 13 years, will be crawling out of the ground across the southeastern U.S. So What? Perhaps you’re thinking, “I see cicadas every year. What’s the big deal?” Those cicadas you see every summer and fall are annual, or dog-day,…
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by Sandra Shave, Fulton County Master Gardener Extension Volunteer This article is part of Garden Buzz, a series from Appen Media and the North Fulton Master Gardeners, where rotating columnists explore horticulture topics like herbs, insects, and wildlife conservation. Find all Garden Buzz articles here. The North Fulton Master Gardeners will hold its annual Garden Faire…
Posted in: Conservation, Entomology, Master Gardener, Native Plants, Ornamental, Perennials, Pollinator, Trees, Urban Forestry -
Several emails have come to the help desk this week reporting “swarms of wasps” in clients’ yards, “flying quite low to the ground.” One Fulton County resident said, “they seem to be in constant motion, never landing or stopping. Their flight pattern gives the impression that they are actively searching for something.” Well, they were…
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Getting to know our neighbors is important—they give us a chance to connect with our community, encourage us to get outside, and offer help when we need it. Our “polli-neighbors” do the same things! The main job of pollinators is to move pollen between flowers, helping plants set seed and reproduce. Without pollinators in our…