I believe the insect you brought in to the office is a Broad-neck root borer, possibly Prionus laticollis. The female is much larger than the male, growing to two inches or more. The structure you see at the end of the abdomen is actually called ... READ MORE
Category: Home Landscapes, Pests & Disease
By Les Harrison Wakulla Extension Director Summer 2016 has arrived, and all the fun is just days away. While it is true the official beginning of summer is still a few weeks away, the temperature is warm, school is out and leisure activities ... READ MORE
Category: Home Landscapes, Pests & DiseaseBy Les Harrison Wakulla Extension Director Summer 2016 has arrived, and all the fun is just days away. While it is true the official beginning of summer is still a few weeks away, the temperature is warm, school is out and leisure activities ... READ MORE
Category: Home Landscapes, Pests & Disease
The silver critters that you find in boxes are called silverfish (Figure 1). They are a primitive type of insect that lack wings and are ametabolous (meaning they do not go through metamorphosis). Silverfish prefer places that have little airflow, ... READ MORE
Category: Pests & Disease, Pests & Disease, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Extension, Work & Life
If you have ever seen what looks like clumps of dirt ascending your walls, you are actually seeing an insect. The “dirt” is actually a case that surrounds a household casebearer caterpillar (Figure 1), which is the larval stage of a Tineid ... READ MORE
Category: Pests & Disease, Pests & Disease, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Extension, Work & Life
When you have an infestation of bed bugs (Figure 1), bleach should not be used as a control method. Bleach can be harmful to people if not used carefully, and it will not work effectively to completely eradicate bed bugs from your ... READ MORE
Category: Pests & Disease, Pests & Disease, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Extension, Work & Life
Those little, squirming things in your birdbath are container-breeding mosquitoes (Figure 1). These mosquitoes are in their larval stage. Adult container-breeding mosquitoes lay eggs wherever water collects, which can be natural structures—like ... READ MORE
Category: Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Home Landscapes, Natural Resources, Pests & Disease, Pests & Disease, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Extension
For the past month, I have asked our staff to bring me whatever bugs they might find on our 475-acre farm. This is a very busy time for our faculty and staff, so I only received a few specimens so far, but they are beauties. There's nothing ... READ MORE
Category: Agriculture, Crops, Events, Farm Management, Pests & Disease, Pests & Disease, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Extension, Wildlife
Between April and November, you might notice spike-tailed green worms (Figure 1) feasting on your tomato plants’ leaves and fruit. These voracious creatures ravaging your garden are caterpillars called tobacco or tomato hornworms. The caterpillars ... READ MORE
Category: Agriculture, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Home Landscapes, Pests & Disease, Pests & Disease, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Extension
These creatures are actually terrestrial amphipods which belong to an order of crustacea. They look very similar to tiny shrimp therefore they were given the common name of lawn shrimp. Most amphipods live in salt and fresh water but there ... READ MORE
Category: Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Home Landscapes, Pests & Disease