Newspaper Page Text
Page 2B - Pike County Journal Reporter - Wednesday, October 13, 2021
Fall is the best time to treat fire ants
It’s that time of year
again. School is back in
session, football is here,
fall harvesting will begin,
and it’s prime time for
fighting fire ants. Fire
ants are most active in
warm weather. Most
people treat when they
see active fire ants, but
fall is the best time to
fight them, according to
a UGA entomologist. Fire
ant season can last 10 to
11 months out of the year
in the most southern
areas of Georgia.
“Early spring and early
fall are good times to
apply baits, once at the
start of the season and
toward the end to help
control before they come
back in the spring,” said
Will Hudson, an entomol
ogy specialist.
Controlling ant colo
nies before they produce
a mound is important.
But, Hudson says that
once a treatment pro
gram is in place, applica
tion timing is not all that
important. More than
100 insecticide brands
are labeled or cleared
for control of fire ants in
Georgia. Baits mix slow
acting insecticides with
granules of foods fire
ants relish and work well
because the ants carry
the insecticides back to
the mound. Baits do best
on larger properties. The
general rule of thumb is
if the area is one acre or
less, don’t use baits. Re
infestation is more likely
from colonies outside
of the yard when baits
are used. One important
thing to remember is the
difference between “no
mounds” and “no ants.”
“There is a difference
between eliminating ants
and controlling them,”
Hudson said. “Baits do
not eliminate ants be
cause there is no residual
control. A new colony
can still come in and be
unaffected by the bait
laid down prior to their
arrival.”
To eliminate mounds
completely, apply baits
every six months, he said.
“There will be invasion
in the meantime, and you
will still have fire ants,
just not enough to create
a new mound,” he said.
The least effective
treatment option for
most people is individual
mound treatments. Kill
ing an entire colony by
treating just the mound
is a challenge, he said.
Hudson recommends
treating lawns with a
registered insecticide in
either a liquid solution or
with a granular product.
Measure the area to be
treated carefully to be
sure you apply the cor
rect amount of material.
It is also important to
get good, even coverage,
which works well with a
hose end sprayer. This
treatment should rid the
lawn of fire ants for one
to three months.
Baits are considered
to have minimal environ
mental effects because
ants carry them back to
the mound within hours
of application. This
targeted approach gives
good control with very
low insecticide doses.
Nonchemical options
include using steam or
boiling water.
“We recommend using
boiling water to treat a
mound near an area such
as a well where you do
not want any chemicals,”
Hudson said. “Using hot
water is very effective, but
the problem is you are not
always able to boil the wa
ter right next to the area
you want treated.”
Boiling water can in
flict serious burns, so ex
treme caution should be
used when treating with
this method. Some home-
owners prefer organic
fire ant control options.
Pesticides approved by
the Organic Materials
Review Institute (OMRI)
are certifiable as or
ganic. Baits and mound
treatments with OMRI-
approved formulations
of the active ingredient
spinosad are the most ef
fective organic options.
“While there are a few
products that qualify as
organic, with most baits
the actual amount of
pesticide applied is mini
mal,” Hudson said.
Product labels can be
confusing, sometimes
even deceptive, and it
can be difficult to make
the right choice. For
assistance in selecting a
product, contact a pest
control professional or
your local UGA Coop
erative Extension agent.
“The most important
thing to remember is that
you need is to be realistic
in your expectations,”
Hudson said.
If you see webworms in your yard, grab a stick
PHOTO BY FAWAD KHAN AND SHIMAT JOSEPH / UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA
Fall webworm larvae feed inside the web as they grow on trees and other plants such as row
crops, shrubs and fruit and ornamental trees.
PHOTO BY LACY L. HYCHE / AUBORN UNIVERSITY, BUGWOOD.ORG
An adult webworm lays eggs on a leaf. Webworm can feed on
more than 600 different species of plants. Take action early to
eliminate them from your property.
The webworm is a
polyphagous caterpillar
pest of ornamentals and
trees in Georgia. “Po
lyphagous” means that it
can feed on many types
of food, and the fall web
worm is known to feed
on more than 600 spe
cies of plants, including
row crops, herbaceous
plants, shrubs, fruit and
ornamental trees.
Fall webworm larvae
construct silk web nest
ing to facilitate feeding,
to escape the attack of
natural enemies, and for
heat retention.
The webbing is con
sidered unsightly, and
feeding on foliage inside
the nest leads to exten
sive defoliation. The fall
webworm can quickly
reduce the aesthetic ap
peal of landscape trees
and shrubs, and severe
infestation can cause
considerable damage to
trees.
The fall webworm is
active during the sum
mer and early fall. The
white, hairy female moth
deposits approximately
600 eggs on the under
side of leaves in masses
covered with white hairs
from the female’s body.
The eggs hatch within a
week, revealing red- or
black-headed larvae
covered with fine hair.
Almost immediately, the
larvae begin working
together to construct a
silken web over a branch
tip, where they begin
to feed. Initially they
skeletonize the leaves
inside the web, but as the
larvae develop, the web
bing expands and covers
more foliage on the tree
branch.
Larvae feed for up to
six weeks until pupation.
Mature caterpillars leave
the web to pupate under
bark crevices, soil, or
stones. The pupal period
may range from 12 to
80 days, depending on
environmental condi
tions, followed by adult
moth emergence. The fall
webworm overwinters
as pupa and can have
multiple generations in
a year.
Regularly inspecting
trees and shrubs starting
in midsummer will help
detect infestations. As
part of a cultural control
strategy, pruning infested
branches will reduce
extensive webbing. How
ever, intensive pruning is
not recommended, as it
can reduce the produc
tivity of fruit trees.
Biological control
plays a critical role in
reducing fall webworm
populations. Many
beneficial arthropods,
including spiders, insect
predators, and parasit-
oids, are associated with
the fall webworm. Verte
brate predators like birds
and lizards will also feed
on the caterpillars given
the chance.
Disrupting the pro
tective webbing usually
leads to death of all or
most of the caterpil
lars inside, so any nests
within reach of a long
pole can be torn open as
a control measure.
As for chemical
control, the micro
bial insecticide, Bacillus
thuringiensis, is com
mercially available and
can be used to manage
fall webworm. Many
synthetic insecticides are
available, but spraying
insecticides on a tree of
any size is problematic
and should only be at
tempted by trained pro
fessionals. If insecticides
are used, always read
and follow label instruc
tions—it is the law.
3
, . - - A,)
GROVER KNEECE
National Award Winning Builder for 30 Years!
678-817-6221
www.georgiabackyardparadise.com
PROFESSIONAL TREE SERVICE llc
In God We Trust
Specialized in Storm Work, Topping, Trimming & Removing.
Bobcat & Dumptruck Work
• FREE Estimates • Stump Grinding
• Fully Insured • Reasonably Priced
Thomas Boyt “Tweety Bird”
30 Years Experience
Cell:770-584-8813
O'DELL
enterprises
General Contractor Zebulon, GA
For all your residential contracting needs.
•Remodeling ‘Home Improvements
•Pressure Washing • Painting
•Kitchens • Bathrooms
State Licensed And Insured
Doing Great Since ‘88
770-412-3239
www.odellenterprises.net Michael O’Dell
1
r
Y
BBS
1
Lbalamo building supply]
We have everything you need
for your home repair projects
• Replacement Windows
• Weather Proofing
• Insulation & House Wrap
• Energy Star Products
132 Taylor St. • Barnesville
770-358-2682
A
Benjamin
Moore
Paints
7-5 M-F *7-12 Sat.
211 Main Street
Barnesville, GA 30204
j/N
SimYdeam
PARAGON REALTY
www, pikecoimtygeorgia.com
Stay Updated 24/7