Collier County 4-H

06/01/2026

Tracking sea turtle movement patterns along Florida’s coast to identify danger zones and help reduce deadly boat collisions.

06/01/2026

Hurricane season is upon us. Make sure you have a plan for your landscape and home should a hurricane come knocking. UF/IFAS has detailed resources for getting you and your property ready.

Disaster Preparation and Recovery: https://disaster.ifas.ufl.edu/
Preparing Trees for Hurricanes: https://gardeningsolutions.ifas.ufl.edu/plants/trees-and-shrubs/trees/preparing-trees-for-hurricanes/
Hurricane Landscaping: https://gardeningsolutions.ifas.ufl.edu/care/weather/hurricane-landscaping/

Photo: courtesy of NOAA

06/01/2026

☀️💦 Summer Starts June 1 at Sun-N-Fun Lagoon! 💦☀️
Get ready to slide, splash, and soak up the sun all summer long at Collier County’s favorite water park! Beginning Monday, June 1, 2026, Sun-N-Fun Lagoon opens daily from 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. for a season packed with family fun, thrilling attractions, and relaxing tropical vibes. 🌴
🌊 Enjoy:
💙 Five exciting water slides
💙 The relaxing 1,250-foot Lazy River
💙 Interactive splash zones for kids
💙 Pirates Cove play area
💙 Tadpole Pool for little ones
💙 Shiro’s Lagoon family pool
💙 Dolphin Dive & Lap Pool with diving boards and lap lanes
Whether you’re chasing thrills, floating the Lazy River, or making memories with family and friends, Sun-N-Fun Lagoon is the ultimate summer destination right here in Collier County!
📍 Located inside North Collier Regional Park
📞 (239) 252-4000

06/01/2026

Half the bugs people panic over and spray are the ones doing the pest control for free.
Each of these is a predator or a parasite of the pests that actually damage your plants. A garden full of them needs almost no spray — because the spray is what wipes them out first.

- Ladybug — Adult and Larva Both Hunt
The adult eats aphids. The spiny black-and-orange larva eats MORE aphids — up to 200 before it pupates. Also eats mites and soft scale. The larva looks like a tiny alligator and most people kill it because they don't recognize it. Learn what it looks like.

- Green Lacewing — The Aphid Lion
The adult is a delicate green insect attracted to porch lights. The larva is the weapon — called an "aphid lion," it clears aphids, mites, and pest eggs by the hundreds. One larva eats 200+ aphids before pupating. The adult drinks nectar. The larva does the killing.

- Hoverfly — Pollinator and Predator in One Lifecycle
The adult looks like a small bee but doesn't sting — a harmless mimic that pollinates your flowers. The larva is a translucent slug-like creature that eats entire aphid colonies overnight. Two jobs from one insect, split between life stages.

- Parasitic Wasp — Tiny, Harmless to You, Devastating to Pests
Most are smaller than a grain of rice. They lay eggs inside caterpillars, aphids, and whiteflies. The larvae consume the host from within. The white cocoons on a hornworm's back are parasitic wasp pupae — the wasp already won. Never kill a parasitized caterpillar.

- Ground Beetle — The Night Shift
Works after dark when you're inside. Patrols the soil surface eating slugs, cutworms, and root maggots. You rarely see them because they hide under mulch and debris during the day. A garden with ground beetles has fewer slug problems without a single pellet of bait.

- Soldier Beetle — The Soft Red-and-Black One
Soft wing covers, typically orange-red and black. Eats aphids on your flower heads while simultaneously pollinating. Harmless. Abundant in late summer on goldenrod and yarrow. People swat them thinking they're pests. They're not.

- Minute Pirate Bug — The Speck-Sized Assassin
Two to three millimeters long. Barely visible. Destroys thrips, spider mites, and pest eggs — the tiny pests that are nearly impossible to control with sprays. Commercial greenhouses BUY these. Your garden can grow them for free if you stop spraying.

Before you reach for a bottle, look closer. Some of those bugs are the reason you don't have more.

06/01/2026

05/29/2026

Have you always wanted to learn how to work with leather? Now’s your chance!

Join us for a full day of hands-on leather crafting where you’ll learn new skills, create your own project, and leave with a finished item to take home!

👜 Cost: $25 per person
🕙 Time: 10:00 AM – 3:00 PM
👥 Ages: 14+

Spots are limited, so be sure to RSVP by 07/15 to reserve your place. We can’t wait to see what you create!

05/26/2026

Final Days! ⏰🍑 There’s still time to enjoy orchard‑fresh Southern peaches and support 4‑H—but not for long.

Now through May 31, $10 from every box purchased through 4‑H’s partnership with The Peach Truck helps fund camp, leadership, and growth opportunities for youth across the country. http://4hpeaches.com/

Order today and make it count for 4‑H 💚

05/22/2026

What a wonderful evening celebrating Tish at her final Ice Cream Social and Awards Banquet! 🍦🍀

A huge THANK YOU to everyone who came out to support, celebrate, and share memories with us. Seeing so many smiling faces, hearing the laughter, and watching our 4-H families come together made the night incredibly special.

We are so grateful for the years of dedication, leadership, and love that Tish has poured into our youth and community. Last night was a beautiful reminder of the impact she has made on so many lives.

Congratulations to all of our award recipients as well — we are so proud of each and every one of you and all that you have accomplished this year!

Thank you again to everyone who helped make the evening such a success. 💚🍀

05/20/2026

Our new 4-H outreach coordinator is hosting a "Father's Day" art and craft event. Kids will be able to make something special for dad. If you want to participate, please make sure that you reach out to her directly.

05/20/2026

Tomorrow night is the big night. This will be Tish Fuller Roland last banquet with us as she retires June 1st. So please make sure you come and have some ice cream with her. 🍨

Mark this date down in your calendar. Our annual awards banquet and ice cream social. This year it will be 05/21. This is a fun event and the last one for our agent Tish Fuller Roland as she will be retiring June 1st. Come out and make it a memorial night for her.