During the 1990s Georgia was the fastest growing state east of Colorado and the sixth fastest growing state in the U.S. During the decade, Georgia’s population grew by 1.7 million (26.4% increase). Half of Georgia’s residents currently live in Atlanta, and by 2010 the area is projected to grow by another 687,000. More recent statistics suggest that Georgia’s growth rate has not stopped. According to the U.S. Census, in April 2005, 60 of the 100 fastest-growing counties in the U.S. were in the South---including 12 in Georgia (tied with Texas for second, and behind only Florida with 14). And, according to a recent (12/22/2006) article in U.S.A. Today, from 2005 to 2006 Georgia was the fourth-fastest growing state in the U.S. During that one year period, 231,388 people moved into the state, bringing Georgia’s population to 9,363,941. From 2000 to 2006, Georgia’s population has grown by about 1.2 million; during the same period, only Arizona and Nevada grew faster.

Urbanization creates pest problems that threaten the health and welfare of all Georgians. Insect and rodent pests consume and contaminate our food anywhere that it is grown, prepared, cooked, served, or stored. Insects also consume the wood from which our homes are built. Subterranean termites account for 1-2 billion dollars annually in homeowner expenditures to treat infested structures and repair termite-damage. Some urban pests are life-threatening, especially those that bite, sting, or trigger allergies. Fire ants, yellow jackets, wasps, hornets, mosquitoes, ticks, fleas, and several stinging caterpillar species are annually responsible for a number of human deaths, emergency room visits, hospitalizations, and crippling disease transmissions. House dust mites and German cockroaches are common causes of asthma in inner city children.

The Urban Pest Management Program on the University of Georgia’s Griffin Campus is responding to these challenges by researching key problems and disseminating information to those who can use it best, specifically Georgia’s residents and the owners and operators of Georgia’s 1,200 termite and pest control companies.