Browse Pest Control Stories - Page 2

A unique study conducted by University of Georgia entomologists led to the discovery of a distinctive supergene in fire ant colonies that determines whether young queen ants will leave their birth colony to start their own new colony or if they will join one with multiple queens. Researchers also found that ants were more aggressive toward queens who don’t possess the supergene, causing colony workers to kill them. This critical finding opens the door to new pest control methods that may be more efficient in eradicating problematic fire ant colonies. 

As the weather cools across the state, several fall insects will begin to take center stage around Georgia homes. Be on the lookout for these nuisance pests and make preparations to deter them from entering your home for the winter.

One of the best things about living above the fall line in Georgia has always been the lack of gnat swarms, but that seems to have changed this spring.

A horse in Lowndes County, Georgia, has tested positive for Eastern equine encephalitis (EEE), one of the most pathogenic among all of the mosquito-borne, encephalitis-causing viruses. EEE is a larger threat below Georgia’s fall line, but rare cases can occur farther north in the state.

The school year has begun, and with it, schools are experiencing an influx of dirt, germs and pests. On Aug. 23, the University of Georgia Structural Pest Management Program (SPM) hosted a School Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Workshop intended to help pest control operators that manage schools in Georgia, Alabama, South Carolina and Tennessee.

A new cockroach species from Turkey has been recorded for the first time in Georgia, according to University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences entomologist Dan Suiter.

Millipedes and centipedes often come indoors and strike fear in homeowners. Millipedes aren’t poisonous, but some species can secrete chemicals that can irritate the skin and eyes and cause allergic reactions. Centipedes seldom bite, but their jaws contain poison glands.

Georgians only face a few more weeks of mosquito season, but the state’s residents need to stay vigilant to keep mosquito populations in check.

It's the time of year when females skunks give birth. The two skunk species found in Georgia are striped skunks (polecats) and eastern spotted skunks (civet cats).

Subtropical Storm Alberto has departed, and the rains will eventually subside. What happens next is predictable: mosquitoes.