Category: UF/IFAS

As new invasive species threatens Florida pastures and sugarcane, researchers racing to manage pasture mealybug outbreak

by Meredith Bauer-Mitchell
July 6, 2026

Invasive pasture mealybug has been detected in 15 Florida counties and can rapidly kill pasture grasses, hayfields and sugarcane, causing severe crop losses. UF/IFAS scientists are studying the newly arrived pest, while emergency approval ... READ MORE

Category: Agriculture, Crops, Invasive Species, Pests & Disease, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Extension, UF/IFAS Extension, UF/IFAS Research
Tags: Pasture Mealybug

Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services new Plant Pay Portal: What Florida Beekeepers Need to Know

by Amy Vu
March 10, 2026

If you're a Florida beekeeper (or interested in becoming one), there is a new portal through the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS), called Plant Pay. The FDACS Plant Pay Portal is designed to pay invoices, manage ... READ MORE

Category: Livestock, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Extension, UF/IFAS Extension
Tags: Fdacs, Honey, Honey Bee, UFBugs, UFHoneyBee, UFHoneyBeeLab, UFIFASExtension

Strengthening Honey Bee Colonies Through Queen Instrumental Insemination

by Amy Vu
March 5, 2026

Background Honey bee colonies (Apis mellifera) continue to face significant losses, largely due to stressors like the parasitic mite Varroa destructor. While chemical treatments are commonly used to treat Varroa, growing resistance has made ... READ MORE

Category: Agriculture, Livestock, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Extension, UF/IFAS Extension
Tags: Bees, Entomology, Honey Bee, Honeybee, Pests, Pollination, UF/IFAS, UFBugs, UFHoneyBee, UFHoneyBeeLab, UFIFASExtension

Research Update: Contact Exposure to Environmentally Relevant Pesticide Residues in Beeswax May Affect Honey Bees in a Laboratory Setting

by Amy Vu
January 27, 2026

Members of the UF/IFAS Honey Bee Research and Extension Laboratory in collaboration with researchers located at the Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte in Brazil conducted a research project studying the effects of contact exposure to ... READ MORE

Category: Agriculture, Livestock, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Extension, UF/IFAS Extension, UF/IFAS Research

Sloth fever unlikely to spread via mosquitoes in Southeastern U.S.

by Meredith Bauer-Mitchell
December 11, 2025

In 2024, “sloth fever” hit the news cycle as a new public health threat: The virus was found in people who’d recently traveled to Cuba, and the serious health risks associated with the disease prompted concern about whether it could spread ... READ MORE

Category: UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Research
Tags: FMEL, Mosquito, Sloth Fever

Creepy, crawly, and totally cool: Florida’s “spooktacular” spiders aren’t so scary after all

by Meredith Bauer-Mitchell
October 28, 2025

As Halloween approaches, it’s the perfect time to spotlight some of Florida’s coolest and spookiest spiders —that aren’t so scary after all. Spiders are often misunderstood, but many are shy, harmless and downright fascinating. Lisa ... READ MORE

Category: UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Research
Tags: Halloween, Jumping Spider, Lisa Anne Taylor, Spider

Using research to change regulation: Honey bee research impacts EPA labeling

by Meredith Bauer-Mitchell
September 17, 2025

Seeing impacts from your research can be a long, laborious and tedious process. But testing a hypothesis and discovering a fact that ends up impacting everyday people – that’s a crowning achievement for a scientist. University of Florida ... READ MORE

Category: UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Extension, UF/IFAS Extension, UF/IFAS Research

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