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Wednesday, November 14,2018
dawsonnews.com I DAWSON COUNTY NEWS I 5B
Community
Clark MacAllister is the Dawson County extension
agent. For more information, call (706) 265-2442.
Ladybug invasion
We are well into
November, and the weath
er is becoming chillier by
the day. Nothing feels bet
ter than coming home to a
warm, comfortable house
after a cold day at work.
Unfortunately, insects feel
the same way. Ladybugs
are some of the most noto
rious nuisance pests when
it comes to unwelcome
insect intruders.
Ladybugs, or as they are
known in the science
world, Multicolored Asian
Lady Beetles, are non
native insects that normal
ly do more harm than
good. They prey on gar
den and crop pests, such
as scale insects and
aphids, and help reduce
overall pesticide usage.
In fact, they are so good
at controlling crop pests
that they were intentional
ly released by the USDA.
According to Susan Jones,
an Ohio State Entomology
professor, Georgia had the
highest number of Asian
lady beetles introduced
(11,000) in the 1970s-80s.
These were a big help
with controlling the pecan
aphid, a big pest in South
Georgia’s many pecan
CLARK MACALLISTER
Columnist
orchards. However, with
the lack of natural preda
tors in the US to help con
trol their populations,
Asian lady beetles soon
became household nui
sance pests.
Ladybugs become a
problem when they enter
our homes when the
weather begins to turn
cold. There are many spe
cies of lady beetles which
are native to the U.S., but
they do not actively seek
out homes for overwinter
ing sites like their Asian
cousins. Asian lady bee
tles naturally overwinter
in cliffs, but in the US,
homes make a nice substi
tute.
A typical home infesta
tion will start with a small
group of ladybugs congre
gating on the side of a
house, usually near a win
dow or door. They release
pheromones which attract
more and more ladybugs.
Some of them will work
their way in to cracks in
siding, through broken
window screens, and
under drafty door thresh
olds.
Once they get in your
home, ladybugs can be a
headache. When dis
turbed, they excrete an
orange liquid (blood!) that
can permanently stain car
pets, floors, walls, and
curtains. Ladybugs have
also been known to “bite”
or “nibble” on human
skin. This usually not
painful, and in no way
harmful, but most people
don’t like the idea of
insects nibbling on them
inside their own homes.
Rare cases of allergic
reactions have also been
reported due to ladybug
exposure, but these are
relieved after proper
removal of the insects.
Once ladybugs have
entered your home, it is
best to physically remove
them. Using a broom or
crushing them will cause
them to leave behind their
orange excretions that
will stain your household
surfaces. Try attaching a
nylon stocking to the hose
end of you vacuum clean
er with a rubber band. The
stocking will act as a net
and keep the ladybugs
from being sucked into
the bag or canister. If you
can’t use the stocking
method, be sure to empty
your vacuum frequently.
To prevent ladybugs
and other insects from
entering your home,
minor maintenance may
be required. Repair or
replace damaged window
screens. Install door
sweeps on exterior doors.
Replace the vinyl seal on
the bottom of your garage
door with a rubber one. It
will seal better in cold
weather. Seal any cracks
or openings around the
exterior of your house.
Install mesh screens over
attic vents to prevent easy
entry points.
Household pesticides
may also be used as an
effective barrier.
Household insecticides
containing active ingredi
ents ending in “-thrin”,
such as bifenthrin, cyflu-
thrin, deltamethrin, and
many more, are effective
exterior sprays. Only
apply these to the outside
of your home.
Forthe Dawson County News
Pass places sixth in FFA
electrical wiring contest
Dawson High School FFA member and
chapter FFA Officer, Justin Pass, recent
ly competed in the North Region Area 1
FFA Agriculture Electrical Wiring contest
held at the Jasper AEMC Nov. 8. Pass
had to wire a complete circuit, take a
written exam and complete a speech
demonstration based on a given circuit.
He placed sixth overall in the event.
Pass is a junior at DCHS and is the son
of Scott andTina Pass of Dawsonville.
Officials, companies working
to expand broadband access
By Megan Reed
DCN Regional Staff
State lawmakers want to
expand broadband access
throughout Georgia, partic
ularly in rural areas.
But to deploy that tech
nology, utility companies
often have to use space in
public rights of way, which
could be owned by a
municipality or the state. A
state Senate committee,
which met in Gainesville
Friday, is looking at ways
to expand those utilities
while working with utility
companies, as well as local
and state governments.
State Sen. Butch Miller,
R-Gainesville, said the
state needs a more consis
tent system to address how
utility companies use
rights of way.
“We have 159 counties
and 600 cities, and every
body’s doing something
different. First we need to
address the immediate con
cerns, then address the
long-term concerns with a
standardized system that
benefits municipalities, the
counties, the vendors, and
most importantly benefits
the citizen,” Miller said in
an interview.
Not having broadband
access in an area can deter
businesses from moving
there and can make it more
difficult for existing busi
nesses to operate, Miller
said.
The committee’s third
meeting was Friday, and
the group, which has state
senators, communications
industry professionals and
local government officials,
will report its findings on
or before Dec. 1.
Utility companies
including AT&T, Charter
Communications and North
Georgia Network were rep
resented at Friday’s meet
ing. Representatives said
they sometimes hit obsta
cles when working with
municipalities to install util
ities in the rights of way.
The committee came up
with a few recommenda
tions that they will discuss
further before sending them
to the state legislature.
One recommendation
was statewide legislation to
streamline the process and
make it more consistent
between municipalities.
Utility companies should
also be encouraged to work
together to co-locate their
utilities, with power com
panies allowing small cell
technology to be attached
to their poles if feasible,
the committee decided
Friday.
“The message needs to
be sent to everyone that we
intend to embrace this
technology in the right of
way, and we expect all
these partners to work
together,” state Sen. Steve
Gooch, R-Dahlonega, said.
The committee also said
that the Georgia
Department of
Transportation should
review its right of way fee
schedule and structure.
“When I look at the
DOT and the fees that they
charge, they date back to
1985. ... In an urban area,
you’re going straight down
a highway right of way.
There’s a fee of $5,000 per
mile. If you’re going down
a rural roadway. ... it’s
$1,000 a mile,” said state
Sen. Frank Ginn,
R-Danielsville, who is
chairing the committee.
Another recommenda
tion, suggested by AT&T,
asks the General Assembly
to set a fee of no more than
$100 per linear mile per
year to use the right of
way. Under current state
law, companies that only
provide broadband servic
es or telephone companies
without local telephone
revenue — for example, if
no one in the area has a
landline — are subjected
to GDOT, rather than local,
fees.
Amicalola EMC awards $46K to local teachers
Forthe Dawson County News
Amicalola EMC representatives recently made the rounds surprising win
ning teachers at 30 private and public schools in Amicalola EMC's service
area throughout Cherokee, Dawson, Gilmer, Lumpkin and Pickens counties.
Seventy-six teachers were awarded funds from the Bright Ideas program
including Dawson County Junior High School teacher Josh Carpenter.
Amicalola EMC's Bright Ideas program awarded $46,000 this year, bringing
the total to just over $387,000 in the past nine years.The program was creat
ed to reward teachers who go the extra mile to research and implement
innovative classroom projects that otherwise would not receive funding. All
funding for the program comes from unclaimed property in compliance
with Georgia's unclaimed property laws. Amicalola EMC is a not-for-profit
electric cooperative that serves more than 48,000 locations in Bartow,
Cherokee, Dawson, Fannin, Forsyth, Gilmer, Gordon, Lumpkin, Murray and
Pickens counties. Pictured from left are Amicalola EMC Post 8 Director
Reggie Stowers, Assistant Principal William Cobb, Carpenter, Post 7 Director
Kathy Burt and staff members Stacey Fields and Kim Martin.
King Crossword
ACROSS
compiler
16
Commotion
1 Nitwit
50
Leak out slowly
20
Any of Rome's
5 High-arc shot
51
South
seven
8 Book after the
American
22
High pair
Gospels
rodent
23
Wooden pin
12 Rainbow
54
Ready for cus
25
Deposit
13 Ram's mate
tomers
26
Donkey
14 Exceptional
55
Beerlike bever
27
Overturned
15 Team leaders
age
29
Existed
17 Skewer
56
Satan's forte
31
11-Down's
18 Massage
57
Pirate William
mom
19 However
58
Gasoline stat
32
Kitten's com
21 Frog's cousin
59
Hunt for
ment
24 Business abbr.
34
Bound
25 Rate of speed
DOWN
38
Pueblo struc
28 Part of a Bat
1
Clark or Cavett
tures
man costume
2
Algerian port
40
Fix the
30 Height of fash
3
Prop for
Constitution
ion?
Sherlock
42
Type of humor
33 " Born in the—"
4
Will subject
43
Diner employ
34 Gem
5
Hawaiian gar
ee
35 Got a
land
44
Arizona tribe
Secret"
6
Possess
45
Con game
36 Recipe meas.
7
Above all oth
47
Donated
37 Addict
ers
48
A Great Lake
38 From the start
8
Firebug's crime
49
Chat
39 America's uncle
9
Type of monkey
52
Matterhorn,
41 Lascivious
10
Advanced
e.g.
43 Jane Goodall's
math
53
o' My
topic
11
Adam's third
Heart"
46 Thesaurus
son
©2018 King Features Synd., Inc.
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