Category: Pests & Disease

Pablo Agustin Boeri determining water infiltration rates of plots at the West Florida Research and Education Center (WFREC). Photo taken 08-24-22.

What’s New on Ask IFAS: UF/IFAS Gulf Coast REC (Sept.–Oct.)

by Amanda Quintos
October 31, 2025

Using Banker Plants as an Additional Tool in Strawberry Integrated Pest Management Allan Busuulwa, Lovely Adhikary, and Sriyanka Lahiri. The invasive Scirtothrips dorsalis Hood (Thysanoptera: Thripidae) is currently the most significant pest ... READ MORE

Category: Agriculture, Crops, Home Landscapes, Lawn, Pests & Disease
Tags: Banker Plants, Flowering Plants, Integrated Pest Management, Irrigation, Strawberries, Turfgrass And Lawncare Industry
White garlic pile texture. Fresh garlic on market table closeup photo. Vitamin healthy food spice image. Spicy cooking ingredient picture. Pile of white garlic heads.

Garlic and Vampires: The Science Behind the Myth [Part 2]

by Suzanne Holloway
October 30, 2025

In part one, we explored garlic’s history and its remarkable ability to help protect against germs, health problems, insects, and even unwanted company. Now, in this post, we’ll take a deeper look into vampire lore, the creatures and conditions ... READ MORE

Category: Fruits & Vegetables, Health & Nutrition, Horticulture, Pests & Disease, Pests & Disease, Work & Life
Tags: Bats, Folklore, Garlic, Halloween, Health, Holiday, Leech, Leeches, Mosquitoes, Sanguivore, Spooky Season, Supernatural, Vampires
a brassica leaf is being turned over to reveal an armyworm mid instar, which is a dark colored caterpillar

The benefits of an early start in scouting vegetable crops

by Yvette Goodiel
October 30, 2025

Vegetable production season brings a bounty of food for us and, unfortunately, also for crop pests. Thankfully, many naturally occurring beneficial insects, fungi, nematodes, wildlife, and other organisms (AKA beneficials) find their food forest ... READ MORE

Category: Agriculture, Pests & Disease, UF/IFAS Extension
Tags: Agribusiness, Agriculture, Commercial Horticulture Digest, Insects, IPM, Martin County, Small Farms, UF/IFAS Extension
An orange fruit with patches of green on its skin

Una proteína segura podría ayudar a que los cítricos sean más tolerantes a la letal enfermedad del enverdecimiento

by Luz Bahder
October 29, 2025

Creado por Brad Buck, especialista sénior en relaciones públicas para UF/IFAS.  La enfermedad del enverdecimiento de los citricos, conocida como citrus greening o Huanglongbing (HLB), ha devastado los cultivos de cítricos en Florida, ... READ MORE

Category: Agribusiness, Agriculture, Crops, Farm Management, Pests & Disease, SFYL Hot Topic, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Extension, UF/IFAS Research
Tags: Arabidopsis NPR1, AtNPR1, Brócoli, Calidad, Centro De Transformación De Cultivos De UF/IFAS, Citricos, Citrus Greening, Coliflor, Control De Psílidos, Defensa Natural, Departamento De Entomologia, Diaphorina Citri, Enfermedad, Enverdecimiento De Los Cítricos, EPA, Eric Triplett, Español, FDA, Gen, Genes, Genetica, Hamlin, HLB, Huanglongbing (HLB), Infección, Inmunidad Vegetal, Insectos, Institute Of Food And Agricultural Sciences, Jugo De Naranja, Microbiología Y Ciencia Celular, Naranjas, NuCitrus, Patogenos, Plantas Libres De Patógenos, Proteina, Proteína Natural, Psílido Asiático De Los Cítricos, Psílidos, Rendimiento, Sintomas, Spanish, Tolerancia, UF-IFAS, University Of Florida, USDA, Vegetales, Zhonglin Mou

A protein can help make some citrus more tolerant to the deadly citrus greening disease – and it’s safe

by Brad Buck
October 29, 2025

Greening disease has devastated the citrus crop in Florida, but University of Florida scientists are using genes from another plant and putting them into Hamlin oranges to develop citrus plants that fight the disease. Scientists have developed ... READ MORE

Category: Agriculture, Pests & Disease
Tags: AtNPR1, Citrus, Citrus Greening Disease, Citrus Growers, Crop Transformation Center, Eric Triplett, Greening Resistant, Greening Tolerant, Hamlin Oranges, Microbiology And Cell Science, NuCitrus, Pathogen, Symptoms, Toxic, Transgenic, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Food And Drug Administration, USDA Research Farm, Zhonglin Mou
Palm trees growing in Coral Springs BLOG banner

Nov. 5: UF’s palm tree team brings science, solutions to South Florida at Palm Short Course in Davie and online

by Lourdes Mederos
October 28, 2025

Florida’s palm trees don’t just define the Sunshine State’s skylines. They are a cornerstone of the state’s environment and economy. Yet, pests, diseases and nutrient issues can make it tough to keep the many varieties healthy. To ... READ MORE

Category: Conservation, Crops, Events, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Pests & Disease, Pests & Disease, SFYL Hot Topic, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Extension, UF/IFAS Research
Tags: Arborists, Conservation, Entomology And Nematology, Environmental Horticulture, Fort Lauderdale Research And Education Center, Growers, Horticultural Sciences, IFAS, Institute Of Food And Agricultural Sciences, Mica McMillan, News, Nutrients, Palm, Palm Disease, Palm Tree Short Course, Property Managers, UF-IFAS, UF/IFAS Extension, University Of Florida
Exterior view of the Pauline O Lawrence Residence Hall finished.

Trailblazing entomologist’s gift creates a home for students, future scientists – and a legacy of belonging

by Lourdes Mederos
October 23, 2025

The University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) will celebrate a milestone moment on Nov. 1 at 4:30 p.m., when the doors open to the Pauline O. Lawrence Student Residence at the UF/IFAS Tropical Research ... READ MORE

Category: Agriculture, Crops, Pests & Disease, Pests & Disease, SFYL Hot Topic, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Extension, UF/IFAS Research, UF/IFAS Teaching
Tags: Agriculture, Dormitory, Edward "Gilly" Evans, Edward Evans, Emeritus Professor Carlton Davis, Empathy, Entomology, Enviroment, First Black Female Graduate Student, Food And Resource Economics, Fruit Flies, Future Scientists, Graduate Students, Groves, IFAS, Institute Of Food And Agricultural Sciences, J. Scott Angle, Miami-Dade County, Natural Resources, News, Pauline O. Lawrence Student Residence, Resilience, Richard Baranowski, South Florida, Students, TREC, TREC Dormitory Fund, Tropical Fruit, Tropical Research And Education Center, Tropical Vegetable, Tropics, UF, UF-IFAS, UF/IFAS Tropical Research And Education Center, University Of Florida
White garlic pile texture. Fresh garlic on market table closeup photo. Vitamin healthy food spice image. Spicy cooking ingredient picture. Pile of white garlic heads.

Garlic and Vampires: The Science Behind the Myth [Part 1]

by Suzanne Holloway
October 23, 2025

You’ve probably heard the old myth that garlic repels vampires, but is there any truth behind this? There’s no scientific evidence to support the existence of vampires or their aversion to garlic. However, the myth likely has roots in garlic’s ... READ MORE

Category: Food Safety, Fruits & Vegetables, Health & Nutrition, Horticulture, Pests & Disease, Work & Life
Tags: Allicin, Garlic, Halloween, Health, Holiday, Insect Repellent, Lentil Soup, Recipe, Repellent, Soup, Spooky Season, Vampire, Vampires, Wellness
Insect under microscope.

Cómo Crecen los Insectos: Por Qué las Ninfas de Cucaracha Causan Confusión

by Sara MacDonald
October 17, 2025

¿Alguna vez has visto un pequeño insecto correr por la superficie de tu cocina y pensado: “¡Oh no, es una cucaracha pequeña!”? No entres en pánico todavía; no todos los insectos pequeños y marrones son cucarachas. De hecho, muchos ... READ MORE

Category: Agriculture, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Home Landscapes, Home Management, Natural Resources, Pests & Disease, Pests & Disease, Recreation, UF/IFAS Extension
Tags: #ufbugs, Extension, Insects, UF/IFAS Extension St. Lucie County

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