2011 Master Gardener Course offered

It is time to sign up for the awesome Master Gardener Course Training!

You can find an application and other information here.

• Application - Due Friday, January 7th, 2011, 4 P.M. - Sign up early!!!
• Press Release
• Flyer
• Schedule of Classes

In short, you will receive 12 weeks of training to help you understand horticulture, gardening, soils, plants, etc better. I hope you will join us as we have a fun time learning and supporting the community with our knowledge.

Wildlife Food Plot Field Day Preview + Research - UGA Thomas County Extension

University of Georgia Thomas County Ag Extension Agent R.J. Byrne discusses the upcoming wildlife food plot field day to be held in 2011.

Visit http://flgagmus.eventbrite.com to register for this field day and others that are part of the 2010/11 FL/GA Game Management Field Update Series.

24 different food plot mixes have been planted to help you view how these different mixes perform in our environment.

Need some info on planting wildlife food plots?

Visit - http://www.ugaextension.com/thomas/anr/index.html#wildlife - for more information on food plots.

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Aquatic Plant Control Training, Tifton, GA

Needing some tips on how to control that pond weed? Or should I say pond weeds?

Below is some information on an upcoming workshop with Dr. Gary Burtle, University of Georgia Pond specialist. Just contact him for any information.

Aquatic weed control will be discussed in a classroom setting. Aquatic plants will be identified, using samples. Herbicide applicators, pond owners and county agents are asked to bring weed and water samples for examination and demonstration. 4 hours of aquatic herbicide applicator credit, category 26, have been applied for.

Program for Aquatic Plant Control Workshop

Date: December 17, 2010

Location: Blackshank Farm Meeting Room, off N. Carpenter Road, Tifton, GA

Contact: Gary Burtle, gburtle@uga.edu, 229-386-3364

Registration Fee: $10.00 fee is requested to cover a box lunch for all participants and literature handouts. A powerpoint presentation will be made during the lunch period.

Agenda:

10:00 AM Aquatic plant identification and invasive aquatic plant species

11:00 AM Chemical control of aquatic plants, new chemical labels

12:00 PM Lunch

12:30 PM Effective aquatic chemical application

1:00 PM Safety in aquatic chemical application

1:30 PM Alternatives to chemical control of aquatic plants

2:00 PM Exotic or invasive aquatic animals

2:30 PM Fish toxicants for pond fish population renovation

3:00 PM Adjourn

Africanized bees in Georgia

Please read the information below from Dr. Keith Delaplane, Extension Apiculturist, regarding first documented record of Africanized bees in Georgia.

For more information please read below and you can also visit this page for a handout.

A human fatality occurred from a massive bee sting incident near Albany, GA on Oct, 11, 2010. The victim was operating a tractor and mower, aggravated a nest of bees, and received over 100 stings. Bee samples were collected by personnel of the Georgia Department of Agriculture and submitted to laboratories managed by the Florida Department of Agriculture with capacity for performing the appropriate diagnoses. On 20 October we received confirmation from Florida that the bees associated with the Albany stinging fatality are in fact Africanized honey bees (AHBs). This constitutes the first record of Africanized bees in Georgia. A press release is soon forthcoming from the Georgia Department of Agriculture, and you can anticipate questions in the days and weeks ahead.


Africanized bees, sometimes called “killer bees,” have been present in the United States since October 1990. They have been confirmed in Florida since 2005. These bees are a sub-species of honey bee and capable of inter-breeding with the European honey bee well-known throughout Georgia as an important pollinator and producer of honey. Unfortunately, the African variety is extremely defensive and responds with a massive stinging reaction with little provocation.

1. Be cautious around places where Africanized bees are likely to nest, such as abandoned sheds, bee hive equipment, discarded tires and subterranean cavities.

2. If you are attacked, RUN AWAY. You may think this sounds silly, but experience has taught us that people do NOT run away. Instead, they stand and swat which simply escalates the defensive frenzy until it reaches lethal proportions.

3. Get inside a closed vehicle or building as fast as possible, and STAY there. Do not worry if a few bees follow you inside. Here’s another hard lesson we’ve learned. People do NOT stay inside a closed vehicle if a few bees follow them inside. Instead, they panic and flee back outside where tens of thousands of angry bees attack them. Maybe it’s a bizarre form of claustrophobia, but this pattern has repeated itself over and over in the stinging incidents we’ve monitored in Latin America and the Southwest USA. Get inside. Stay inside.

4. European bees and beekeepers are our best defense against AHBs. In response to Africanized honey bees, some communities may consider zoning restrictions against all forms of beekeeping. This essentially cedes territory to the enemy. Only gentle European bees can genetically dilute the defensive Africanized variety.

Should you fertilize your grass now?

Are you wondering if you should be fertilizing your warm season grasses now?

Listen to R.J. Byrne, University of Georgia Thomas County Ag Extension Agent, as he discusses this in the video below.



Specific information can be found at these links.
- Centipede Calendar -
- St. Augustine Calendar -
- Bermuda Calendar -
- Zoysiagrass Calendar -

For more information, visit our Agriculture page -

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