FREE Webinar series- All Bugs Good & Bad

Have you been watching the FREE webinar series All Bugs Good & Bad?  It happens the first Friday of each month at 1PM Central time.  If you are just now joining in, don't fret because past webinars are available online.

The next webinar is all about invasive ants.  I know here in Texas we have a fair amount of invasive ants, so this one would be a good one to watch.  Here
's the skinny:

WHEN: Friday, October 6, 2017
WHERE: online click here

New invasive ant species?  Yes, when we think we know about all the ant species, along comes new invasive ants capable of invading our space.  Dr. Timothy Davis, University of Georgia Agriculture and Natural Resources, Chatham County Extension Coordinator will introduce to these new invasive ant species that we should know about, assisted by Vicky Bertagnolli-Heller, Clemson University Extension. 

Moderated by Tim Crow and Eric Schavey, Regional Extension Agents, Alabama Cooperative Extension System. Note: on October 6, the link to the live webinar opens about 15 minutes before the webinar. If you try to log in earlier, you will get an error message.
For more webinars in this series, see 2017 All Bugs Good and Bad Webinar Series. The webinars are brought to you by the following eXtension Communities of Practice: Ant Pests, and Urban IPM; and by the Alabama Cooperative Extension System, the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service, Clemson Cooperative Extension and University of Georgia Extension.

You can find information about past and future presentations in this webinar series online HERE.  If you want to watch one of the past presentations, click on the one you are interested in, look in the right top corner of the page, and click "watch recording".

FREE WEBINAR on managing cockroaches and ants

 

Cockroaches and ants!  We don't want them in our houses.  learn practical tips for preventing problems from these pests in this webinar presented by me, Wizzie Brown.

Note: On October 2, the link to the live webinar opens about 15 minutes before the webinar.  If you try to log in earlier, you will ge an error message.

For more webinars in this series, see All Bugs Good and Bad 2015 Webinar Series. The webinars are brought to you by the following eXtension Communities of Practice: Imported Fire Ants, and Urban IPM; and by the Alabama Cooperative Extension System and the University of Georgia Center for Urban Agriculture. 

The link to this webinar is: https://learn.extension.org/events/1855

 

Look forward to your participation on Friday, October 2, 2015 at 1:00 pm central time.

 

If you happen to be unable to attend the webinar, it will be recorded for you to watch later at a more convenient time.

Argentine Ants

I've been getting samples submitted where people suspect that they have Tawny crazy ants infesting their property.  They report light brown ants in dense populations getting into everything.  Once the samples are submitted, I discover that they are Argentine ants.  So why are people mistaking Argentines for Tawnies?  Well to the inexperienced they can look very similar especially when you don't have a good hand lens or microscope to look for hairs on the body.  Also, both of them can have high population numbers and supercolonies.

Argentine ants are light brown to brown in color and all workers are the same size (about 1/8").  The legs are not overly long like with crazy ants, but this can be difficult to determine unless you tend to look at ants a lot.  If you have a hand lens, you can check out the tip of the abdomen first.  Argentine ants do not have a sting and they don't have a circle of hairs at the tip of the abdomen.  Next, look at the thorax of the ant.  If the thorax does not have hairs, then it's most likely going to be an Argentine ant (Crazy ants have long paired hairs on the thorax). 

Argentine ants in the Urban Lab at TAMU.

The other ant that breaks out in the same couplet  (in a dichotomous key, characteristics are paired so that you work your way through the key by choosing one of the couplets that has similar characters to your specimen and the paired characters that you choose from is a couplet) as Argentine ants are the Cheese ants.  If you have multiple ants, then determination of cheese ants is very simple....smash one of the ants and smell your finger.  You're thinking I'm crazy now...right?  I'm not (my mother had me tested...actually that was Sheldon, not me.  If my mom had me tested she did not tell me the results which could be good or bad).  Anyway, I digress.....have you smelled your finger yet?  If you have cheese ants then your finger will smell like blue cheese.  I swear! 

So, if you have small to medium brown ants trailing around that worry you, you should:
1. Squish some and smell your finger.  If you have a blue cheese smell, then you have Cheese ants.
2.  Look at the thorax with a good hand lens or microscope.  If you have paired hairs on the thorax, then you have Crazy ants.  If there are no hairs then you have Argentine ants.

So here is my disclaimer.  This method is really simplified and I may possibly get lynched by entomologists and even more so by myrmecologists (ant specialists) for simplifying it so much.  Ant identification involves looking at nodes, counting antennal segments, looking at hairs on specific parts of the body amongst other things, so this is a generalization but may help you out.  It is very important to identify the ant that you are trying to manage before you try to control them.  If you cannot do this or are unsure of your identification, then send it to me and I am happy to look at it for you.

All Bugs Good and Bad Webinar Information

The webinar from August is now posted for you to watch at your convenience.  It is "Minimize Mosquito Problems" by Molly Keck.  You can find that here (click watch recording in the top right corner):
https://learn.extension.org/events/1373#.U_eT1aPFpCw
The next webinar will be held on September 5, 2014 at 1PM CDT.  That webinar will be "Kudzu Bug Takes Over the Southeastern U.S./ Brown Marmorated Stink Bug--All Bad" and will be given by Dr. Michael Towes and Dr. Tracy Leskey.  You can find more information and a way to link to the webinar here:
https://learn.extension.org/events/1379#.U_eTpaPFpCw

The webinar series is brought to you FREE by extension.org.

Don't Bug Me Webinars

So why should you participate in these webinars?  You can learn valuable information about avoiding pest problems from experts all over the U.S.  I'm kicking things off with the February 1st webinar....hope to "see" you there!

Learn How to Manage Ants and Other Pests Via Don’t Bug Me Webinars

Got ants?  Tired of ladybug invasions in the fall?  Brought home bed bugs from your last trip? Alabama Cooperative Extension professionals will moderate a free webinar series that will take on all of these topics. In 2013, most of the webinars will be on fire ants and other invasive ant species.  Other topics for the year include bed bugs and various insects that invade homes each autumn. 

Alabama Extension entomologist Dr. Kathy Flanders says these free webinars are designed for homeowners and the general public.

“We will provide them with sound, research-based management solutions for these pests from some of the best experts around the country,” she says.  “The webinars are specifically for ordinary people who need answers they can use.

“Participating is as simple as clicking on a web link.”

Each webinar will begin at 1 p.m.  Central Time and will last 30 to 45 minutes. 

Flanders says not to worry if you cannot tune in for the live webinar.

“The webinars will be recorded and archived.  If you miss one, you will be able to watch a recording later.” 

The webinars are sponsored by eXtension (www.extension.org) and the Alabama Cooperative Extension System (www.aces.edu) .  They are coordinated by the Imported Fire Ant eXtension Community of Practice (http://www.extension.org/fire_ants). 

 First Friday of the Month Spring Series

February 1, 2013. Fire Ant Home Remedies - What Works, What Doesn't  (http://bit.ly/XhpUfT )  Home remedies for fire ant control are dominating the internet. Learn what works and what doesn't. Learn about safe and effective techniques for fire ant management for home landscapes.   Hosted by ACES Regional Extension Agent Dani Carroll.

March 1, 2013.  Ants! Ants! Ants! (http://bit.ly/11bUix0) Tawny crazy ants and Argentine ants don't sting, but their large colonies are definitely annoying.  Learn how these ants live and how to control them.  Hosted by ACES Regional Extension Agent Bethany O’Rear.

April 5, 2013.  You Have Fire Ants Where? (http://bit.ly/VMNRdR) Targeted fire ant management in sensitive and challenging areas including vegetable gardens, fish ponds, compost piles and electrical boxes.  Hosted by ACES Regional Extension Agent Willie Datcher.

May 3, 2013.  Protect Your Loved Ones From Fire Ants (http://bit.ly/UyngQG) Learn safe, effective, research-based methods to protect your family and pets from fire ants.  Hosted by ACES Regional Extension Agent Charles Pinkston.

June 7, 2013. Get Rid of Those Bed Bugs (http://bit.ly/WII3RD) Learn how bed bugs live and get sound, research-based advice on how to get rid of them.  Hosted by ACES Regional Extension Agent Chris Becker.

First Wednesday of the Month Fall Series

September 4, 2013.  Fall - A Good Time to Control Fire Ants with Bait  (http://bit.ly/13g4hAb) Applying fire ant baits in the fall is an effective way to minimize fire ant problems in home lawns and other landscapes.  Learn how to get the most out of your fire ant bait and discuss community-wide fire ant management programs.  Hosted by ACES Regional Extension Agent Sallie Lee.

October 2, 2013. Home Invaders ( http://bit.ly/ZlTVLb) Every fall certain bugs come into our houses looking for a place to spend the winter. Learn what they are and how to evict them. Hosted by ACES Regional Extension Agent Ellen Huckabay.

November 6, 2013.  Keep Ants Off the Thanksgiving Table (http://bit.ly/UG74SV) Learn safe and effective ways to keep ants from invading your house.  Hosted by ACES Regional Extension Agent Mallory Kelley.

As the date for each webinar approaches, watch eXtension’s Don’t be Bugged Webinar Series page  (http://bit.ly/RfFOcy) for more information on that particular webinar.