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A supergene is a collection of neighboring genes located on a chromosome that are inherited together due to close genetic linkage. Studying these unique genes is important to understanding the potential causes for differences among the social structure of fire ants, specifically for controlling the species and building upon the existing knowledge base. CAES News
Fire ant supergene
A unique study conducted by University of Georgia entomologists led to the discovery of a distinctive supergene in fire ant colonies that determines whether young queen ants will leave their birth colony to start their own new colony or if they will join one with multiple queens. Researchers also found that ants were more aggressive toward queens who don’t possess the supergene, causing colony workers to kill them. This critical finding opens the door to new pest control methods that may be more efficient in eradicating problematic fire ant colonies. 
Yellow jacket encounters spike this time of year. As we spend more time outdoors, yellow jackets and wasps will be seen foraging more often. CAES News
Cool Weather Pests
As the weather cools across the state, several fall insects will begin to take center stage around Georgia homes. Be on the lookout for these nuisance pests and make preparations to deter them from entering your home for the winter.
Abnormally dry conditions this summer have kept Georgia's mosquito populations mercifully low, but that's no reason for Georgians to let down their guard, especially this season. CAES News
Mosquito Control
It officially turned summer this past weekend and the weather forecast seems to agree, with thunderstorms and warm nights in our future. These conditions are pretty typical for summer in Georgia — and excellent for mosquito development.
Subterranean termite swarmers are most commonly seen in spring and are a telltale sign of termite infestation. (Photo by Brian Forschler) CAES News
Home Termites
Border to border, the state of Georgia enjoys mild temperatures and more than adequate rainfall, which are perfect conditions for the growth of an abundance of insects, including subterranean termites.
A large snail species that is native to South America, island apple snails mature in 60 to 80 days and can live in water and on land for more than three years. A single adult snail can produce up to 2,000 eggs every two weeks. CAES News
Island Apple Snails
University of Georgia Cooperative Extension Agent Jessica Warren is doing her part to knock down populations of invasive snails in Camden County.
A bee collects pollen from a tomatillo flower in a garden in Butts Co., Ga. CAES News
Ground Bees
Ground-nesting bees and wasps may alarm people, but they are actually "good bugs" that pollinate plants and feed on harmful insect pests. 
A group of black flies CAES News
Black Flies
One of the best things about living above the fall line in Georgia has always been the lack of gnat swarms, but that seems to have changed this spring.
Kip Lacy, who is currently a graduate fellow at the Rockefeller University but received his master’s in entomology from UGA’s College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences in 2018, worked with UGA fire ant researcher Ken Ross and DeWayne Shoemaker at the University of Tennessee to isolate and document the multi-queen colonies. CAES News
Ant Queens
In most colonies, ants work in service of a single reproductive queen, but that’s not always the way ant societies function.
Fire ants scurry along a piece of wood CAES News
Spring Ant Control
Whether you have a well-manicured lawn or a wild preserve, almost every landscape in Georgia shares one feature: fire ants.
Kudzu bugs overwintering in bark. CAES News
Kudzu Bug
A tiny wasp — known as “Paratelenomus saccharalis” — is cutting down kudzu bug populations and Georgia soybean farmers’ need to treat for the pest, according to Michael Toews, a University of Georgia entomologist based on the UGA Tifton campus.