News Stories - Page 296

Overwintering kudzu bugs discovered in pine bark. CAES News
Kudzu Bug
A parasitoid wasp controls kudzu bug populations in its native Asia. University of Georgia entomologist Michael Toews hopes those wasps will one day reduce the kudzu bug’s presence in the United States.
UGA Crop Quality Lab manager Daniel Jackson with a load of research samples from the Vidalia Onion Research Center. CAES News
Onion Testing
This spring when southeast Georgia farmers started pulling their signature sweet Vidalia onions out of the ground, Daniel Jackson and his staff were preparing their lab for the coming onion onslaught.
A carpenter bee prepares to build its nests in a tree. CAES News
Carpenter bee damage
Tired of watching carpenter bees slowly gnaw through the wood on her porch, Deborah Harris bought a trap as an alternative to spraying pesticides. The traps can be bought at craft shows or online or, if you’re handy, made at home.
Georgia's Vidalia onions are available to purchase now. To keep their sweet taste around all year long, University of Georgia Cooperative Extension food safety experts say to store them in the freezer. CAES News
Onion Crop
Despite a frigid, rain-filled winter, Vidalia onion farmers expect a good, quality crop this season.
CAES News
Wheat Rust
University of Georgia Extension agents are often at the front lines when it comes to finding and defending crops from diseases and pests. Andrew Sawyer, an Extension agricultural and natural resources agent in Thomas County, made a timely discovery when he was the first to identify the presence of wheat rust in Georgia in 2013. His finding reduced yield losses on wheat, barley and rye.
Canning green beans. Beans in Jars waiting to be placed in a pressure canner. May 2008. CAES News
Preserving Produce
Canning and preserving homegrown produce will be the focus of the next Saturday at the Rock workshop set for June 8 at Rock Eagle 4-H Center in Eatonton.
University of Georgia students in the most recent "Chicken Que: Science Behind the Grill" class learn how to correctly cut fresh chicken. CAES News
Chicken 101
First-year students at the University of Georgia are learning about chicken by learning everything from where it comes from and how it is processed, down to what impacts it’s tenderness and how to make it tasty.
When selecting plants for hanging baskets, place like plants together. To determine a plant's needs, read the plant label provided by the nursery. CAES News
Healthy hanging baskets
Hanging baskets are an attractive and practical way to add color and beauty to outside areas, such as patios, decks and terraces. In the old days, hanging baskets contained only one type of plant. But in recent years, mixed baskets have become very popular.
Georgia experienced the fourth-wettest April on record this year. While the rain should boost soil moisture across the state, it made it difficult for farmers in South Georgia to get out into their fields to plant cotton and peanuts. CAES News
April Showers
April was significantly wetter than normal across most of the state, which recharged soil moisture but delayed planting of some summer crops.