With cold weather already casting a chill on the state, lady beetles have been making themselves at home in many houses across the state. The insects are small and round with brown spots. Dan Sutter, an entomologist with the University of Georgia Extension Service, says try not to kill lady beetles because they are beneficial and eat other insects during warm weather. He adds touching the beetles in an attempt to kill them could cause other problems in your home. "They're not dangerous in anyway. They do excrete a kind of a foul smelling odor, and it can stain walls and things of that sort when they are touched," (says) Dan Sutter with the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences. If lady beetles have invaded your home, the best way to get rid of the insects is to vacuum them up with a vacuum cleaner, then release them outside. To reduce the chances of a lady beetle invasion, make sure cracks and holes that let in these insects are sealed with caulk or another sealing agent. John Harrell, University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, reporting from Tifton.

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As the lights and other decorations come down for another year, another home with live Christmas trees must make a decision on how to dispose the tree. Orville Lindstrom, a scientist with the University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, says let your live tree be chipped up and recycled back into the landscape. Chipping the trees also gives landfills a helping hand. "If they get into landfill they just take up space, they don't decay. In the landfill they're piled with other things and they do not decompose virtually at all, so that doesn't give things very directly back to the environment it just takes up space for something else," (says) Orville Lindstrom with the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences. Machines that chip up live Christmas trees in Georgia normally come to local communities in early to mid-January. You can check with local officials for the specific date and location for the live Christmas tree chipper in your area. John Harrell, University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, reporting from Tifton.

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Most parents want to make sure their children have plenty of nutrients and vitamins. So when children sit down at the dinner table, they see a lot of fortified foods like orange juice, cereal and bread products. But a nutrition specialist with the University of Georgia Extension Service says if you also give your child a daily multivitamin supplement, you may be providing too many vitamins. In some cases accidental overdose and mega intakes of vitamin D and iron can be toxic. "Well, there are certain vitamins that are what we call fat soluble and they can be building up in the fat tissues of the body. And there is a risk if you take very large doses of them over a long period of time that they would possibly build up to toxic levels," (says) Connie Crawley with the College of Family and Consumer Sciences, who adds most children can get the vitamins they need by eating the right foods, including fruits and vegetables and whole grains. If you still feel the need to give your child vitamins, read the label carefully and don't exceed the recommended dosage. John Harrell, University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, reporting from Tifton.

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During 1990s, peanut farmers saw the tomato spotted wilt virus and foliar leaf spot diseases move in and devastate peanut crops. But scientists with the University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences are looking at a peanut variety from Bolivia that has resistance to these deadly diseases. Tim Williams, a university scientist, says the Bolivian peanut has the genetic characteristics that make it resistant to the diseases. The ag scientist believes the new variety has a lot of potential for peanut farmers in Georgia and the Southeast. "Introduced a new source of resistance to tomato spotted wilt virus and it's possible because of the other benefits, the disease and vine rot resistance that exist in that line that this could be used directly as an introduction by the farmers of the Southeast," (says) Tim Williams with the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences. Williams and other college scientists have been conducting research with the Bolivian peanut variety since the late-‘90s and more research and testing are planned. But the peanut variety from South America has the potential to improve control of these deadly diseases and prevent yield reductions. John Harrell, University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, reporting from Tifton.

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Back in 1992, the state introduced a current-use taxation program called ‘Conservation Use Valuation.' Coleman Dangerfield, an economist with the University of Georgia Extension Service, says the program was created in response to concerns about urban sprawl, land use transition and resulting environmental impacts from these changes. He adds a unique factor in the program is residential transitional property. "(This) gives relief to anybody whose home was in an area that's changing from single family or owner-occupied homes to even agricultural or commercial, industrial, or office-institutional multi-family, changing out of a traditional neighborhood into something that's more commercial-business oriented," (says) Coleman Dangerfield with the Warnell School Forest Resources. Applications for current use assessment, including residential transitional property must be filed with local county tax assessors by the deadline for filing county ad valorem tax returns. In most counties, the sign-up period will run from January 1 through March 1. John Harrell, University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, reporting from Tifton.

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