Saturday, October 15, 2016 Citizens interested in becoming poultry producers can attend an October 27 Poultry Production 101 class at the Okaloosa-University of Florida Extension. The class will be held from 6 until 8 p.m., and is $10 per person. Samples and recipes are included. Call 850-689-5850 for information or to register. Participants will learn proper egg handling, poultry processing ...
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Thursday, October 13, 2016 by Larry Williams Fall webworms are normally observed during late summer and fall when people notice the unsightly whitish or light gray webs in certain trees. Webworms enclose leaves and ends of branches with silken webbing. The worms (caterpillars) are found in this protective webbing consuming leaves. Although they can defoliate branches on which they are ...
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Sunday September 25, 2016 by Judy Biss By now you have probably heard about Zika Virus that is transmitted by mosquitoes. As a beekeeper, you may be concerned about the safety of your bees during pesticide treatments to control mosquitoes. As a rural landowner, you probably have more places where mosquitoes can live and lay their eggs than a homeowner who ...
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September 19, 2016 by Larry Williams I always enjoy being outdoors and watching butterflies and hummingbirds as we move into late summer and fall. Fall is the peak season for butterflies in the Florida Panhandle and there are a surprising number of hummingbirds that migrate to our area as they seek out our mild weather during the winter months. In ...
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September 12, 2016 by Larry Williams As we move into September, we can expect some relief from summer’s heat and humidity. This change offers a time to possibly catch up on landscape jobs. September also offers a favorable time to purchase and plant some landscape plants. And the Okaloosa County Master Gardeners can assist with this. They are holding a ...
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by Larry Williams We are fortunate to be able to grow some sort of vegetables year round in Florida. But not all vegetables will grow year round. Planting time is critical. Cool-season crops tolerate and require lower temperature. Many of these cool-season vegetables, sometimes called fall or winter crops, can be planted this month. The below recommended planting dates are ...
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by Jennifer Bearden August 24, 2016 Fall armyworms were found this week in clover food plots in Okaloosa County. This pest can completely defoliate a field in an about a week. They have a wide range of host plants such as grasses, clovers, cotton, soybeans, corn, peanuts, and tomatoes. Fall Armyworms overwinter in southern Florida and southern Texas. The moths or ...
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by Larry Williams Q. I noticed small brown moths flying low to the ground in my lawn. Should I be concerned about this? A. Yes and no. These are probably adults of the tropical sod webworm. Moths have a wingspan of about ¾ inch and are a dingy brown. Moths do not cause damage. So don’t bother trying to control ...
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by Larry Williams August 15, 2016 Would you like to grow more of your own food? If so, you may be interested in an upcoming gardening seminar being offered at the UF/IFAS Extension Office in Okaloosa County. Karen Harper and Marg Stewart, Okaloosa County Master Gardeners, will present an amazing look into their quests to grow more of their own ...
Read More »Preventive maintenance is key to preparing for storms An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of care when it comes to preparing for hurricanes. Compared to many areas of the United States, we live in a fairly high-risk area for storm damage and as a result should be prepared. One of the most important preventive measures is to periodically ...
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