Welcome to the UF/IFAS Extension Hernando County Blog.
Disease Vectors Florida is home to about 80 different species of mosquitoes, and they don’t all prefer the same habitat. In fact, they don’t all target humans. Some mosquitoes breed in standing water, marshes and ponds. Others prefer… Read More
Even though we all know that Florida is prone to tropical storms and hurricanes, I’m sure that most (if not all) of us were still surprised by Hurricane Irma. I haven’t lived through a serious storm since Hurricane… Read More
Citrus Greening Disease A bacterial disease that has affected all varieties of citrus in Florida is something called citrus greening. This pathogen blocks the nutrient carrying tissue in the tree and results in poor tasting, misshapen fruit and… Read More
Just Arrived In Town! New insect pests, diseases and invasive organisms unfortunately arrive in Florida on a regular schedule. The newest one that folks should start to familiarize themselves with is something called Texas Phoenix Palm Decline or… Read More
It’s almost the time of year when we get a few phone calls about “little twigs chewed off of my trees and bushes”. This most commonly happens to crepe myrtles, but the problem may occur on a variety… Read More
“What’s Wrong With The Pine Trees?” If you drive around Hernando County you will notice quite a few dead pine trees. This is because we have had an outbreak of Ips pine engraver beetles (Ips sp.) this spring… Read More
Florida is home to many exotic invasive organisms- everything from plants to insects and even lizards and salt water fish. But one problem plant that many Florida residents are familiar with is Dioscorea bulbifera, or the air potato… Read More
Recently, we received questions regarding red tides and Florida manatees – What are red tides? Are red tides harmful to manatees? If so, what is being done to help our County’s manatees? All great questions! Red tide blooms have been… Read More
