Items
of Interest:
Mississippi Bug Blues
Mississippi State University.
Mississippi Bug Blues is a project that seeks to educate the people of Mississippi about invasive species of insects that pose a threat to our state, its people, and its resources. The main responsibility of this campaign is to educate. Some species, such as the Emerald Ash Borer, have not been found in Mississippi yet, but are a threat because it has been found in several neighboring states. For other species, like the Red Imported Fire Ant, it is too late to prevent them from finding a way into Mississippi, but informing the public about how to avoid such species and control their population are also important.
Emerald Ash Borer Updates (Nov 2016; PDF | 691 KB)
Mississippi Forestry Commission.
Mississippi's ash trees are living on borrowed time. Every day the emerald ash borer is not detected in Mississippi is a minor victory. Infestations in surrounding Tennessee (detected 2010 near Nashville), Arkansas (detected in 2014 near Hot Springs) and north-central Louisiana (2015) continue to expand, despite quarantines in those areas. Most frighteningly, EAB was confirmed in Calhoun County, Alabama in October 2016. EAB now has Mississippi surrounded, and it is likely only a matter of time before it finds its way here. To
prevent the spread of this and other non-native beetles, do not move firewood. Firewood is a vehicle for movement of tree-killing forest pests including EAB and Asian longhorned beetle. See Forest Health Articles for more pest alerts.
Insect Identification Service
Mississippi State University. Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station.
The primary goal of this service is to provide Mississippi citizens with identification and management recommendations for insect pests that affect their homes, their gardens, or the crops they are trying to produce. The lab also works closely with the Mississippi Department of Agriculture and observant Mississippi citizens to help facilitate early detection of new invasive insect pests that appear in the state. |