Insects And Animals | Walter Reeves: The Georgia Gardener

What Happens When Celebrity Insects Die?

I consider myself reasonably imperturbable when it comes to Internet pictures…but this one made me...

Spring Cankerworm – Identification

Spring occasionally brings an influx of creatures you hadn’t noticed before. A warm winter can result in thousands of little green caterpillars raining down from oak trees on silk strands. Stnding under an infested tree is distasteful as tiny black...

Kudzu Bug – Control

First we had kudzu vine…now we have kudzu bugs! I guess it makes sense. This pest of kudzu plants in Asia somehow travelled to the US and now anyone living near a patch of kudzu often spots the insects on...

Deer Repellent – Using DMSO and Capsicum

Call all deer dislikers! Want to test a product for me? I recently became aware of a new product that claims to be very effective at repelling deer: Repellex Systemic Tablets. The technology is based on research from the University...

Ultrasonic Devices – Not for Bird Control

Ultrasonic Bird Control? Don’t Throw Your Money Away! Written By: Rob Fergus, Ph.D. Ornithology Sometimes hardware or lawn & garden companies advertise ultrasonic devices that are supposed to drive birds away with high frequency noises undetectable to humans. Sounds like...

Deer Resistant Vegetables and Herbs

Deer Resistant Vegetables and Herbs taken from NW Farms and Food If you want to minimize deer damage in an open garden, its best to start with plants that deer don’t like. Deer will “browse” on most anything when wild...

UGA Insect Publications

Following are useful publications from UGA concerning insects: 2011 Southeastern Peach, Nectarine and Plum Pest Management and Culture Guide A Parent’s Guide to the ‘Nitty-Gritty’ about Head Lice A School’s Guide to the ‘Nitty-Gritty’ about Head Lice Africanized Honey Bees...

UGA Wildlife Control Publications

Following are good wildlife control publications from UGA WDS-05-01 Using Milorganite to temporarily repel white-tailed deer from food plots WDS-05-02 Using Milorganite to repel white-tailed deer from ornamental plantings WDS-05-03 Evaluation of attractants for live-trapping nine-banded armadillos WDS-07-04 Nutria (Myocastor coypus) WDS-07-05 Moles WDS-07-06 Feral Swine...

Animal, Reptile, Bird and Insect – Books for Identification

I love getting emailed photos of plants and creatures that need identifying. Although I may not be able to ID them at first glance, I can usually find something interesting in one of my reference books. One of my favorite...

Roadrunner (bird) – Killing Hummingbird

When I posted photos of a kingsnake killing a copperhead, I had no idea how many responses I would get. From Scott W., here’s one of the most unusual! I really enjoyed the story of the Kingsnake but I have...

Kingsnake – Killing a Copperhead

A couple of weeks ago, I posted a description of a kingsnake eating another one. Now I’ve been sent something even more fascinating: a kingsnake killing a copperhead! I’ll let the gardener tell her story: The way the story unfolded...

Porch – Painting Blue for Insect Control

Arty Schronce, Director of Public Affairs for the Georgia Department of Agriculture, was recently asked if painting a porch blue would help control insects. I agree with his response: “This is a common belief, but there is no scientific evidence...

Periodical Cicada – 2011 Results

GEORGIA’S CITIZEN SCIENTISTS SURVEY STATE’S SPRING CICADAS Nancy C. Hinkle, Ph.D. Dept. of Entomology University of Georgia Athens GA 30602 In Spring 2011, billions of 13-year cicadas emerged in Georgia – the first time they had been seen since 1998...