Aiken County Clemson Extension

Livestock owners are invited to join Clemson Extension Livestock and Forages for a hands-on demonstration and to discuss different types of fencing.
🐄 🐴 🐑
Date: February 27, 2026
Time: 1:00 pm to 5:00 pm
Location: Lexington County Clemson Extension office
Cost (per participant): $15
Registration deadline: February 26
Registration link: https://shorturl.at/NH26x

Landowners and managers are invited to join FNR | Clemson Extension to learn more about South Carolina's forest laws, managing nuisance wildlife, forest pests, invasive plant management, NRCS programs, and decision-making before a timber sale.
🌲 🌳 🌱
Date: February 26, 2026
Time: 8:30 am to 3:30 pm
Location: Orangeburg County Fairgrounds
Cost (per participant): $40 w/o CFE credits, $90 w/ CFE credits
Registration deadline: February 23
Registration link: https://Woodlands2026.eventbrite.com

Join FNR | Clemson Extension's Wildlife Food Plot Management Workshop for a field tour, educational presentation, and dinner.

Date: February 24, 2026
Time: 4:00 pm to 7:00 pm
Location: Edisto REC, Blackville, SC
Cost: $10 per participant
Registration deadline: February 19
Registration link: https://FoodPlots226.eventbrite.com

🚨 CLOSURE ALERT 🚨

“Per South Carolina policy, when inclement weather occurs in South Carolina, state government offices and their employees/student workers will follow the same weather hazard decisions made by county government officials where the state offices are located.”

Aiken County Government dictates that the Aiken County Clemson Extension office will operate on a delay on Monday, February 2, due to road conditions. ❄️ Our office will open at 1:00 pm.

Staff are working remotely. Email us at [email protected] or leave a voicemail at (803) 649-6297 ext. 0.

Stay warm. Stay safe.

Did you know that the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources Climatology Office offers free weather alerts right in your inbox? ☔️🌨️

👉 Stay weather aware by subscribing at

South Carolina DNR

Aiken County Clemson Extension will be on Winter Break starting December 22, 2025.

Our staff will return to the office on Monday, January 5, 2026, refreshed and ready to help you with your Extension needs.

🎄Happy Holidays!

Clemson University's Department of Plant Industry and Clemson University Invasive Species Program confirmed a yellow-legged hornet (Vespa velutina) observation thanks to an astute beekeeper in York County.

"This is the first detection of a yellow-legged hornet or nest in South Carolina outside the Lowcountry. DPI is asking York County residents to remain alert and report suspected hornets or nests."

🔗 Click https://news.clemson.edu/yellow-legged-hornet-nest-located-in-york-county-residents-urged-to-report-sightings/ to read about the wasps and how to report possible sightings in your neck of the woods.

Yellow-legged hornet nest located in York County; residents urged to report sightings Officials are encouraging residents to support ongoing response efforts by reporting suspicious hornet activity and allowing inspectors access to their property.

🔥 Prescribed Burn Planning Workshop
🗓️ Date: December 17, 2025
🕘 Time: 9:00 am to 4:00 pm
📍 Location: Gravatt Camp and Conference Center, 1006 Camp Gravatt Rd, Aiken, SC 29805

About the program
🔥 Participants will be guided through the process of developing a burn plan, how to evaluate site conditions by experienced prescribed burning practitioners, and given the opportunity to write a burn plan for a site at Camp Gravatt.
🔥 Weather permitting, the workshop will include the opportunity to participate in a prescribed burn.

Who should attend
🎯 Landowners who are interested in using prescribed fire on their property and have little or no experience in preparing for a prescribed fire are invited to attend this training.

📞 Event contact: Janet Steele at [email protected] or 839-900-1354

🔗 Registration link:

Prescribed Burn Planning Workshop This workshop is for landowners with little or no experience in preparing for a prescribed fire, but want to start burning.

Clemson Extension Livestock and Forages Agents are fielding questions about an outbreak of Equine Herpesvirus Type 1 Neurologic (EHM- Equine Herpes Myeloencephalopathy) reported by Texas veterinarians during the Women’s Professional Rodeo Association (WPRA) World Finals in Waco, Texas, held November 5–9.

Click on the link to read about this equine disease outbreak alert from Clemson Livestock Poultry Health.

👉 https://www.facebook.com/ClemsonLPH/posts/pfbid02M1v9FoZfE2zoHkqh7zh6oc4RpTK9j2JdyAQ1Gaum82MGmtWk3pqHnGkjYWnmddt7l

*** EQUINE DISEASE ALERT UPDATE ***

Clemson University Livestock-Poultry Health is suspending the use of Extended Equine Certificates of Veterinary Inspection (EECVIs) to transport horses into South Carolina for at least 30 days following an outbreak of Equine Herpesvirus Type 1 Neurologic (EHM- Equine Herpes Myeloencephalopathy) reported by Texas veterinarians during the Women’s Professional Rodeo Association (WPRA) World Finals in Waco, Texas, held November 5–9.

According to reports, the WPRA event involved approximately 650 horses representing 30 states and four Canadian provinces. The event was followed by the Barrel Futurities of America (BFA) World Championships, held November 15–22 in Guthrie, Oklahoma. The remainder of the BFA event was cancelled on November 18 after a case of EHV-1 was confirmed.

Equine events in South Carolina may continue as scheduled, based on their risk assessments, and that they review the Certificates of Veterinary Inspection to ensure accuracy.

🤔 Extension Agent Inbox Q&A:
"Here is a two-inch beetle this morning in my Lyman, SC, yard! Friend or foe? A menacing fella!
Thanks,
Sharon M."

Indeed, it is a menacing-looking fella, but it's not a beetle. Instead, this is a true bug (order Hemiptera) commonly called a wheel bug (Arilus cristatus).

Wheel bugs are found throughout much of the eastern US and are pretty easy to identify by a distinctive dorsal crest shaped like a cogwheel on the insect's thorax. (Fun fact: The specific epithet "cristatus" is Latin for crested.)

Wheel bugs are often considered beneficial because they prey on a wide variety of insects in our landscapes. Wheel bugs use their raptorial front legs to grab and hold prey such as caterpillars and other insects, while their piercing-sucking mouthparts inject paralyzing and pre-digestive enzymes into the prey. The wheel bug then consumes its victim's dissolved insides like a miniature smoothie. 🥤

🚫 Wheel bugs are no-touch insects. Their stout beaks can deliver a pretty painful bite, so appreciate this beneficial predator from afar.

📸 Photo credit: Sharon M
📍 Photo location: Lyman, SC (Spartanburg County)
🗓️ Date taken: 11/05/2025

📢 Office Closed Thursday, November 6

The Aiken County Clemson Extension office will be closed on Thursday, November 6. All staff will be out of the office due to scheduling.

We apologize for the inconvenience, but we’ll be back in the office on Friday, November 7, ready to help you with your Extension needs.

📞 Leave us a voicemail at (803) 649-6297 ext. 0
✉️ Or send us an email at [email protected]

🧢 Add your thinking cap to your outfit of the day.

🤔 The South Carolina Grower wants to know if you can identify this crop that is currently growing in Hampton County.

⬇️ Click on the linked picture for the answer.

Credit: This week’s question is from Anna Sara Hill, Coastal Region Fruit and Vegetable Agent.

Question of the Week – Basil What is this crop growing in Hampton County? This is basil, a member of the mint family. Basil is native to India, where it was considered a sacred plant and used in religious rituals. The ancient …