In a past BYGL, you may recall hearing about the National Invasive Species Awareness Week (NISAW), coordinated by the North American Invasive Species Management Association (NAISMA). That BYGL Alert was simply an announcement of the efforts, shared what was happening, and was posted on the actual week of the Awareness Week. Today's Alert will not only share the upcoming dates and details of the week in February, but will also encourage engagement at the local level - including what you can do! 

This past Wednesday, December 18, the WSDA in partnership with the USDA announced that after three years without any confirmed detections, the northern giant hornet is officially declared to be eradicated from the U.S.

The spotted lanternfly (Lycorma delicatula) (SLF) continues make the news, both locally in Ohio, and across much of the eastern United States. While adult SLF are still active in Ohio, as a result of the warmer than average temperatures that we have been experiencing, numbers are appearing to decrease from earlier observations in the field. Freezing temperatures will kill the remaining adults that continue to feed, lay eggs and be a nuisance simply by their presences and the sticky sweet honeydew and the sooty mold that follows, and an agricultural pest that threatens vineyards and more.

This year's Ohio Turfgrass Conference and Trade Show AND the OSU Green Industry Short Course will be held on December 10 - 12, 2024 at the Columbus Convention Center. This collaborative conference brings educational programming to the green industry - from turf to trees and everything in between, including the short course pollinator track, business and more track, landscape plants and practices track, short course landscape pest track, short course back to basics track, golf turf management track, professional lawn care track, sports field management track, and equipment maintenance track.