Category: Pests & Disease

Can citizen science save Florida’s ecosystems? UF’s efforts demonstrate surge in invasive species detection and response

by Lourdes Mederos
March 5, 2025

Thanks to the power of citizen science, everyday people are becoming frontline defenders in the battle against invasive species. By reporting sightings and contributing valuable data, the public is helping researchers detect threats sooner ... READ MORE

Category: Community Volunteers, Conservation, Pests & Disease, SFYL Hot Topic, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Extension, UF/IFAS Research
Tags: Asian Swamp Eel, Citizen Science, Citizen Scientists, EDDMaps, Invasion Science Research Institute, Invasive Soft Coral, Invasive Species, IVE-GOT1, Lungworm, Melissa Miller, News, Paul Evans, U.S. Army Corps Of Engineers, U.S. Geological Society, U.S. Geological Survey, UF-IFAS, USGS, USGS Nonindigenous Aquatic Species, USGS Wetland And Aquatic Research Center
A planter moves a load of plant material; a progression of compost is shown; a setup of compost being stored is shown in front of a tarp.

Composting with Iron/Clay Cowpea (Vigna unguiculata)

by David Hébert
March 2, 2025

Introduction Cowpea (Vigna unguiculata), variety "Iron/Clay" is an abundant source of high protein plant biomass. This plant material can be composted to produce a net gain in total nitrogen on the farm. After mixing and management, storage-ready ... READ MORE

Category: Agriculture, Conservation, Crops, Farm Management, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Fruits & Vegetables, Home Landscapes, Horticulture, Pests & Disease, Pests & Disease, UF/IFAS Extension, Water

Observe Pesticide Safety Education Month: Essential tips for safe household pesticide use

by Meredith Bauer-Mitchell
February 25, 2025

February is Pesticide Safety Education Month, and it's the perfect time to brush up on how to use household pesticides safely. The first step? Always read the label. It’s packed with important info on how to use the product correctly and safely. Established ... READ MORE

Category: Home Management, Pests & Disease, UF/IFAS
Tags: Brett Bultemeier, Pesticide, Pesticide Information Office, Pesticide Safety
4H

Call for Submissions: 2025 UF/IFAS 4-H Honey Bee Essay Competition

by Chris Demers
February 24, 2025

Attention, UF/IFAS 4-H'ers! The UF/IFAS Honey Bee Research and Extension Laboratory (UF HBREL) is currently accepting submissions in response to the 2025 American Beekeeping Federation Foundation 4-H competition call for entries. Since national ... READ MORE

Category: 4-H & Youth, Camp, Clubs & Volunteers, Crops, Curriculum, Pests & Disease, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Extension
Tags: #ufbugs, 4-H, 4H, Beekeeping, Bees, Bug, Entomology, Honey Bee, Honey Bees, Honeybee, Insects, UF-IFAS, UFHoneyBeeLab, UFIFASExtension
Cacao pods with seeds and leaves

Investigadores de UF/IFAS trabajan para prevenir una enfermedad que pone en riesgo su chocolate favorito

by Luz Bahder
February 13, 2025

Creado por Megan Winslow, especialista en relaciones públicas de UF/IFAS.  Mientras saborea un bombón o una fresa bañada en chocolate este día de San Valentín, piense en el fruto alargado y acanalado del árbol del cacao, el cual hace ... READ MORE

Category: Agriculture, Crops, Horticulture, Pests & Disease, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Research
Tags: Agricultores, Bombones De Chocolate, Cacao, CATIE, Centro Agronómico Tropical De Investigación Y Enseñanza, Chocolate, Chocolates, Costa Rica, Crecimiento Blanco Y Esponjoso, Destructor De Plantas, Dia De Los Enamorados, Dulces, Erica Goss, Español, Fitopatologia, Fruto Del Cacao, Genetica, Genética Tanto De Plantas Y Patógenos, Genoma, Ina Schlathoelter, Investigacion, Jeremy Brawner, Mariana Herrera Corzo, Mars, Materiales Vegetales, Mazorcas De Cacao, Modelo De Prediccion, Patogenos, Phytophthora, Phytophthora Megakarya, Podrición Negra Del Cacao, Productors, San Valentin, Spanish, Susceptibilidad Al Patógeno, Theobroma Cacao, UF-IFAS

Where do invasive species spread and why? UF/IFAS researchers take a novel approach to find the answer

by Lourdes Mederos
February 12, 2025

Science tells us invasive species — like the spotted tilapia — are always on the move, making it difficult for scientists to simulate their spread and predict where they will go next. Researchers at the University of Florida Institute ... READ MORE

Category: Invasive Species, Pests & Disease, SFYL Hot Topic, UF/IFAS
Tags: Climate, Environmental Resistance Modeling, ER Modeling, Invasion Science Research Institute, Invasive Plants, Invasive Species, Journal Of Biogeography, News, Plants, Tegu, Temperature, Tilapia, UF-IFAS, Yunpeng Liu

Bird flu concerns in the Florida Keys?

by Alicia Betancourt
February 12, 2025

We hear a lot about Avian Influenza, or H5N1, and the price of eggs in the news recently. That got me thinking, should we be worried about bird flu here in the Keys? As it turns out, we should.  Although Florida Fish and Wildlife has not ... READ MORE

Category: Agriculture, , Home Landscapes, Livestock, Natural Resources, Pests & Disease, Pests & Disease, SFYL Hot Topic, UF/IFAS Extension, Wildlife
Tags: Atlantic Flyway, Avian Influenza, Backyard Poultry, Biosecurity, Bird Feeders, Bird Flu, Blue Discoloration, Bottle-nose Dolphin, Cows, Crows, Dead Bird Reporting, Diarrhea, Domestic Cats, Domestic Poultry Protection, Eagles, Falcons, FDACS, Feces, Florida Department Of Agriculture And Consumer Services, Florida Fish And Wildlife, Florida Fish And Wildlife Commission, Florida Keys, Game Birds, Great Egret, H5N1, Hawks, Lack Of Energy, Migration, Mucus, National Wildlife Disease Program, Neurological Signs, Owls, Poultry, Reduced Egg Production, Respiratory Distress, Saliva, Seabirds, Shorebirds, Snowy Egret, Sudden Death, Swollen Head, Virus Spread, Virus Transmission, Vultures, Wild Birds, Wildlife Health
Cacao pod researchers

UF/IFAS researchers work to prevent a disease threatening your favorite chocolate

by Megan Winslow
February 10, 2025

As you nibble on a chocolate truffle or bite into a chocolate-dipped strawberry on Valentine’s Day, consider the elongated, ribbed pods of the cacao tree, which made that sweet treat possible. A group of UF/IFAS plant pathologists has partnered ... READ MORE

Category: Pests & Disease, UF/IFAS Research
Tags: Africa, Black Bottom Rot, Black Pod Rot, Cacao, CATIE, Chocolate, Costa Rica, Disease, Erica Goss, Farming, IFAS, Inoculate, Institute Of Food And Agricultural Sciences, Jeremy Brawner, Lab, Lesion, Mariana Herrera Corzo, Mars, Megan Winslow, Phytophthora, Phytophthora Megakarya, Plant Pathology, Plant Pathology Department, Research, Tropical Agricultural Research And Higher Education Center, UF, UF-IFAS, University Of Florida, Valentine's Day

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