Simpson County Extension Office

10/08/2026

Mark your calendars! If you are in the Brandon, MS area on October 21, you may want to attend this free event.

10/08/2026

The invasive tawny crazy ant was first identified in Mississippi in 2009, where it quickly became established in Hancock, Harrison, Jackson and Pearl River counties. This year, they spread to Wilkinson, Marion and Perry counties.

Joe MacGown, ant taxonomist with the Mississippi Entomological Museum housed at Mississippi State University, said these small, reddish-brown ants are native to South America and first arrived in the U.S. almost 100 years ago.

“According to Mississippi Entomological Museum records, the earliest known record from the U.S. was from Illinois in 1931, followed by records from Florida and Texas in the late 1930s,” said MacGown, who is also a researcher with the Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station. “As with many invasive ant species, they went largely unnoticed until populations exploded in both Florida and Texas in the early 2000s.”

In 2009, tawny crazy ants were identified in Mississippi in Hancock County, and they quickly spread to Harrison, Jackson and Pearl River counties. During this same time period, they were reported in large numbers in coastal Alabama, Georgia and Florida.

“However, over the last 15 years, the spread of the tawny crazy ants seemed to have inexplicably halted until 2026,” MacGown said.

Santos Portugal, entomologist with the Mississippi State University Extension Service, said the ants were identified this year in Wilkinson, Marion and Perry counties.

“If you look at them closely, they are very hairy and have long antennae and long legs,” Portugal said. “They are called crazy ants for a reason, as they appear to run around like crazy more so than form defined trails like you see with a lot of ants.

“But without looking at them under a microscope, one of the biggest giveaways is the sheer number of them, often covering large areas and numbering in the hundreds of thousands or even millions. Once established in these massive numbers, the term ‘super colony’ can be used to talk about them,” he said.

Tawny crazy ants are known by different names, which can confuse people trying to find information about them, Portugal said. In Florida, they were called hairy crazy ants, and they are sometimes called Rasberry crazy ants, named for the pest management professional in Texas who found extremely high numbers of them in the 2000s.

Various researchers including MacGown compared specimens from different locations and determined that the ants were all the same species, Nylanderia fulva, and the approved common name of tawny crazy ant was given to the species.

“They don’t have large mounds like fire ants, and they tend to nest under things like rocks, fallen limbs, leaf litter or firewood,” Portugal said. “When the populations outside are high enough, they often spill indoors, where their presence becomes a significant nuisance.”

These are significant pests, but the good news is that they don’t sting and their bite is minimal. They tend not to hurt people, although there have been some concerns in the veterinary world because of their sheer numbers.

The ants frequently get into electrical equipment, where they can short out wiring and cause problems. Because of their significant numbers, once they are established in an area, it is unlikely that they will be completely eradicated.

“It is unlikely a homeowner will be able to manage large populations of these ants on their own, so it is important to stay on top of the problem by reaching out to a reputable pest management professional,” Portugal said.

Portugal said the ants had stayed confined to four Mississippi counties for years but spread this year to three more counties. He said pest management professionals in the coastal counties, as well as those in Louisiana and Texas, are reporting a much more active year than normal with these ants. No explanation for this sudden increase in activity has yet been determined.

The public is asked to help in efforts to control the tawny crazy ant by reporting suspicious ants. A physical specimen must be submitted to the MSU Extension Insect Identification Lab for official confirmation.

“Once MSU Extension officially confirms this species in a new Mississippi county, it allows pest management professionals to treat more extensively with a specific product, giving them another tool in their arsenal,” Portugal said.

Because of their numbers, treatment success is not measured by entirely eliminating the pest from the property.

“Success should be measured by the ability to keep them out of the house and other sensitive locations,” he said. “Even with an effective treatment by a pest management professional, follow-up treatment may still be needed. This is often not a once and done thing.”

You can find more info on submitting a sample to the MSU Extension Insect Identification Lab here: https://extension.msstate.edu/insects/insect-identification

10/07/2026

10/05/2026

Here's your veggie planting guide for October! Some of the vegetables you can plant in the garden this month include...

Spinach
Garlic
Green onions
Mustard
Leeks
English peas
Beets
Carrots
Radishes
Spinach
Lettuce
Beets
Celery

Planting times will vary by area.

Read our Mississippi Vegetable Gardener's Guide for TONS of great info: https://extension.msstate.edu/publications/mississippi-vegetable-gardeners-guide

Contact your county's Extension agent for localized guidance: https://extension.msstate.edu/county-offices

10/01/2026

🍀🎉 Big opportunities start with 4-H! 🎉🍀

Looking for a way to keep your child learning, growing, and having fun? 💚💛 Mississippi 4-H gives youth the chance to explore new interests, learn valuable life skills, make lasting friendships, and discover what they’re capable of!
For more information and to get enrolled, call the Simpson County Extension Office at 601-847-1335.
🍀 💚 🍀 💚

10/01/2026

Here’s your landscape checklist for October! Some tasks include:

Plant hardy annuals and perennials.
Fertilize and water fall mums.
Prune back annuals like blue salvia and dianthus to the ground and mulch.
Dig up caladiums and store for replanting next year.
Prune back dead or damaged tree limbs.
Plant spring bulbs.

Contact your county’s MSU Extension agent for localized guidance! Find yours here: https://extension.msstate.edu/county-offices

09/30/2026

Mississippi has quite an extensive list of native oak trees! With 34 different species found in the state, you may wonder how to tell which is which. Although there are many ways you can identify each oak, the trees’ acorns are a great indication of species.

By looking at the acorn’s shape, color, and size, you’ll be able to identify which oak species it came from.

Here are just a few examples...

Willow Oak: The yellowish-brown acorns are small, rounded and typically 1/2 inch long. The cap covers about 1/3 of the nut and is greenish brown in color. Willow Oak acorns take two seasons to mature and typically fall in the fall of the second season.

Chinquapin Oak: These acorns are small to medium in size, oval shaped, and dark brown in color. The cap is thin and bowl-shaped, covering about1/4 of the nut. Chinquapin Oak acorns drop every fall.

Overcup Oak: Overcup Oak acorns are medium in size and are nearly enclosed by the entire cap. They drop annually in the fall.

Post Oak: Post Oak acorns are oval shaped and between 1/2 and 3/4 of an inch long. Their cap is bowl shaped and typically covers 1/3 of the nut. They drop from trees each year during fall.

Turkey Oak: These acorns are round and about 1/2 of an inch long. Their cap covers about 1/3 of the nut. Acorns drop every two seasons, with them falling in the fall of the second season.

09/28/2026

It’s parsleyworm time! These caterpillars munching on parsley will become black swallowtail butterflies. They are voracious feeders, but the plants will recover.

Like most caterpillars, parsleyworms do most of their eating in the last few days of their lives as caterpillars. Once they are fully grown (about 2 inches long), they usually crawl away from the host plant to form their chrysalis. This is a good survival strategy because the odor of their f***s and the feeding injury to the host plant is attractive to parasites and predators.

09/25/2026

🏛️ 2027 4-H Senate Page Program Applications Are OPEN! 🏛️

Are you a 4-H member interested in citizenship, leadership, and government? This is an incredible opportunity to experience the Mississippi Legislature firsthand!

Four outstanding 4-H members will be selected to represent the MSU Extension Center for 4-H Youth Development and the Center for Government & Community Development during the Mississippi Senate session February 1–5, 2027.

✨ Eligibility:
• Must be a 4-H member
• Must be at least 14 years old as of January 1, 2027
• Must not have graduated from high school
• Must maintain at least a B average

📅 Application Deadline: December 1, 2026

Program Highlights:
🏛️ Serve as a page in the Mississippi Senate for one week
📚 Gain firsthand experience with the legislative process
🤝 Meet elected officials and observe state government in action
🏨 Lodging, some meals, and chaperone support provided

🎥 Important: Applicants must also upload a short video (1 minute or less) introducing themselves and explaining why they would like to serve as a 4-H Page.

👉 Apply online: Applicationhttps://fs8.formsite.com/MSUGCD/4-H/index

09/24/2026

We need your help! We are asking the public to watch for signs that the spotted lanternfly is in the state.

What might appear to some to be a beautifully exotic butterfly is actually an invasive pest that can devastate fruit crops and be a nuisance in home landscapes.

While not yet detected in Mississippi, the spotted lanternfly is spreading across the country.

In infested states, it has become a key pest in fruit crops, including grapes, apples and peaches, requiring ongoing monitoring and management.

“Mississippi has several small-scale fruit production areas that would suffer from this insect if it made its way into the state,” said Jermaine Perier, Extension entomologist who focuses on insect pests of fruits, vegetables and nuts. “However, because these farms and gardens are small, the impact from this pest can potentially be missed if the public is unaware that they should watch for it.”

Spotted lanternfly adults are about 1 inch long and half an inch wide with visually striking wings. They have brown forewings with black spots at the front and a speckled band at the rear. Their hind wings are scarlet with black spots at the front and white and black bars at the rear. Their abdomen is yellow with black bars.

Young nymphs are black with white spots and remain like this for most of the immature stage. At the final nymph stage, they become redder, keeping their white spots. Nymphs are wingless insects that are very active on the plant in large groups and will jump when disturbed. They measure 1/8 inch to 1/2 inch long.

Mississippi’s expanding grape industry would be most at risk economically from the pest. Vineyard owners in other states have seen reduced vine vigor, lessened starch reserves, lower fruit quality and increased management costs. The state also has at least three to four other hosts that can support the insect, including red maple and Virginia creeper.

“Because we have multiple hosts, management will be very problematic without early detection,” Perier said. “A lot of our larger vineyards are in the coastal region, which might not benefit as much from frost seasonally knocking back this insect, should it be established.”

Their economic impact can be devastating, with other infested states having seen losses in the millions.

“The latest economic reference is from 2019, so current estimates could be higher or lower, but Pennsylvania saw estimated statewide losses between $49 and $99 million for all crops susceptible to the pest that year,” Perier said. “This highlights the need to at least be vigilant.”

Spotted lanternfly also feed on the sap of hardwood trees in home lawns and other landscapes. They are particularly attracted to the invasive tree Ailanthus altissima, which is commonly known as tree of heaven, said Zia Williamson, Extension entomologist who focuses on insect pests of ornamentals, forages and turf.

“Much of the concern about these insects in residential areas is related to the mess they create rather than direct harm,” Williamson said.

As they feed, they excrete honeydew, a sugary substance that coats surfaces and promotes the growth of black sooty mold. In large amounts, honeydew can ferment and cause an unpleasant, vinegar-like odor.

Adult and nymph stages of the insect often gather in large numbers to feed. During the day, they cluster near the bottom and in the canopy of trees.

“If you have a tree of heaven in your landscape, this may be a good place to check for their presence,” Williamson said.

Finding their egg masses is also an indication that this pest has made its way into the state.

Spotted lanternfly egg masses are flat, look almost like a spot of mud and are covered in a glue-like substance. The sticky nature of the eggs causes them to adhere to almost anything, including vehicles.

“This means they can very rapidly be transported across the country,” Williamson said. “This is the main way they spread, and you can bring them into the state if you are traveling to or from or even through other areas that may be infested with spotted lanternflies.”

The egg masses, which contain 30 to 50 eggs, are about an inch long and can be seen in fall, winter and spring. They stick to anything with a smooth surface, including trees, bricks, stones, fences, grills and equipment.

People who suspect they have found adults or egg masses should contact the local Extension office. If possible, take a photo of adults and nymphs or capture them in rubbing alcohol.

Once positively identified, egg masses should be scraped off into a zip-close bag that contains alcohol-based hand sanitizer or rubbing alcohol and disposed of in the trash. Adults and nymphs should be crushed.

Perier said the pest has a foothold in the southeast within Georgia and Tennessee. When traveling to or through states with known populations, people should inspect and clean their vehicles as they leave those states. This is especially important from July to October when spotted lanternflies are most active.

“With the repeated collections in Georgia and Tennessee, it can be said that the insect is adapting to the southern climate. It was initially found in the north and northeast and remained as far south as Virginia for the longest while. I believe Atlanta is the furthest south it has been found recently. However, that can change as the insect adapts to the climate,” Perier said.