Ambrosia beetles are known for attacking various woody plants, causing some limb and stem dieback and sometimes plant death. There are at least 30 species of ambrosia beetles in Florida, several of which are non-native. Typically ambrosia beetles… Read More
Looking at Florida watermelons neatly stacked in a super market produce section hardly brings to mind a mystery worthy of Dashiell Hammett, but then a furtive, unknown disease invaded the state’s watermelon fields. “We began to receive calls… Read More
Yellowstriped armyworms, Spodoptera ornithogalli, have made an appearance in Wakulla County, Florida. While common in the eastern United States, and even as far west as the Rocky Mountains, as a pest its occurrence is limited primarily to the… Read More
The Kudzu Bug also known as the bean plataspid (Megacopta cribraria, Fabricius), was discovered in the Sopchoppy area of western Wakulla County last week populating a citrus tree. Kudzu bugs are native to East Asia and were first… Read More
As if kudzu is not bad enough for Wakulla County and the rest of the south, now there is a kudzu bug. It eats kudzu, but unfortunately it eats many other plants, too. This pest was discovered in… Read More
Delicate flowers disguise the potential problems of Horsenettle. The dainty yellow and white flowers belie the disaster potential of the plants. Horsenettles (Solanum carolinense) are blooming and producing fruit in Wakulla County. Horsenettle can be a serious weed problem in Florida’s… Read More
Soil conditions continue to be very dry and field work has stopped until some rain arrives in sufficient quantities. Spring ryegrass hay is being fed now instead of the winter ahead. Oat harvest has started in some parts… Read More
Southern Armyworms, Spodoptera eridania, has made its first appearance of 2012 in Wakulla County on April 19. A home gardener brought in the samples seen in the photograph above. While most were still in the larva stage, the… Read More
Fall Armyworms have been reported in adjacent state’s hayfields. Several counties in the black-belt of south Alabama, south Georgia, and the coastal bend of Texas have all seen activity in Spring 2012. Reports from east Texas indicate the worms… Read More
When a Jefferson County Master Gardener displayed a plastic 2.5 gallon gasoline container peppered with round holes, it initially was a mystery. But the black spots turned out to be invasive beetles, Camphor Shot Borer beetles to be… Read More
