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Page 2A, The Lee County Ledger, Wednesday, July 21,2021
Managing common summer pests around the yard and home
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Submitted Photo
This is Ivy, a female Shepherd about 2 yrs old.
Ivy weighs 49 lbs and is heartworm negative.
She is a very sweet girl and will make a great
addition to someone’s family. Ivy’s adoption
fee is $50.00 until the end of July, which covers
getting her spayed, rabies shot, microchip,
heartworm test and she has had her yearly
distemper and kennel cough vaccines. Lee
County Animal Shelter is located at 101 Mossy
Dell, Leesburg.
Submitted Photo
Common seasonal pests like (clockwise from top right) fire ants,
houseflies, brown marmorated stink bugs and mosquitos (shown in
standing water as larvae) can be controlled with simple tips from UGA
Cooperative Extension.
follow label instructions.
For most treatments, it is
important not to disturb
the mound. Read careful
ly and apply pesticides as
directed for the highest
level of efficacy. For
more detailed informa
tion see our Extension
publication on Managing
Imported Fire Ants in
Urban Areas.
Flies
Fly populations in
crease in summer and
occasionally become
home pests. Prevention
is the key to controlling
these opportunistic pests.
Take garbage out of the
home at least twice a
week and, if you com
post, make sure to keep
material waiting to go to
the pile covered. Keep
outdoor garbage cans
tightly closed and clean
them regularly to prevent
spilled garbage or leaky
bags from providing an
ideal breeding ground for
flies. Also, place garbage
cans far from building
entrances. If flies do
make their way indoors,
sprays labeled for flies
or good, old-fashioned
swatters can take down
the stray fly or two and
keep them from repro
ducing. For higher num
bers, sticky traps with
the chemical attractant
Z-9-tricosene are effec
tive for control.
Mosquitos
Mosquitos are hands-
down the worst sum
mer pest. Not only are
their bites itchy, certain
species of mosquitos can
spread diseases. Mosqui
tos need standing water
to reproduce, and many
homes grow their own
population of mosqui
tos simply by allowing
collected water to stand.
Prevent mosquitos by
eliminating areas of
your yard that could hold
water. There are many
possibly culprits, in
cluding plant containers,
toys, and even tarps on
boats or other equipment
that may collect water.
Don’t forget to refresh
water in bird baths at
least once a week. Man
aging standing water
is especially useful for
controlling day-biting
mosquitos, which are
most likely the Asian
tiger mosquito, which
cannot travel far from
larval habitats. To keep
your backyard com
fortable, avoid or repel
low levels of mosquitos
that are present in the
evening using fans and
repellant lanterns with a
heat source.
Wasps and Hornets
Lots of folks are
alarmed by wasps and
hornets but, left alone,
these insects are not
aggressive. In addition,
they are important
pollinators and can help
control pest populations.
Unless nests are very
near doors or other high
traffic areas, leave them,
but be mindful of the
nests and give them a bit
of space. In the winter,
those colonies will die
and nests can be easily
removed.
Preparing for fall
While I mostly as
sociate summer with
outdoor pests, many
insects will start looking
for warmth as tem
peratures begin to cool
down. Asian ladybugs
and brown marmorated
stink bugs can invade
houses by the hundreds.
Now is the time to pre
pare your home against
these cooler-weather
invaders. Make sure
cracks around windows
are caulked, window
screens are intact and
door sweeps are in
stalled on exterior doors.
Essentially, plug up any
opening that could allow
insects to enter. In addi
tion, a residual pesticide
around the exterior of
the house, especially at
potential entry points,
can prevent insects from
entering. Preparing by
late summer can prevent
an insect invasion in the
fall.
For more in-depth
information about home
pests, check out UGA
Extension Publications
including Management
of Pest Insects In and
Around the Home,
Stinging and Biting
Pests and Managing
Imported Fire Ants in
Urban Areas.
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Tree Trimming
Tree Removal
’Stump Grinding
” win i . r
Call TtSdaJr!
229-865-1976
Special to the Ledger
By Alicia Holloway for
CAES News
As a University of
Georgia Cooperative
Extension agent, I see
a lot of insects. People
leave jars of them on my
desk, send me photos
or call me out to their
gardens to identify them
and give control recom
mendations.
Often I speak to folks
about how to bring pol
linators to their gardens,
to have more insects
instead of less. Because
of this, I am somewhat
inured to insects and I
forget what most folks
think about them, which
often goes along the
lines of “eek,” “aaahhh,”
or “squish it!” At least
until the shoe is on the
other foot, or rather the
other hand, as I’m swat
ting at an insect that is in
my home. As much as I
love looking for monarch
caterpillars on milk
weed or bumblebees on
echinacea, some insects
are pests and need to be
managed. Here are a few
insect pests to watch out
for this season in and
around the home.
Fire ants
Ants interrupting a pic
nic is a common summer
trope, and no one wants
fire ants interrupting
summer fun — they are
aggressive when dis
turbed and their stings
are painful. For smaller
areas of less than an
acre, treating individual
mounds is advised, and
there are numerous con
tact pesticides, granular,
mound drenches and
dusts that are effective
for individual mound
control. The most im
portant advice for using
these chemicals is to
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