Category: Pests & Disease

Giant African Land Snail Eradicated from South Florida

by Morgan Pinkerton

October 12, 2021

FDACS declares Giant African Land Snail Eradicated from South Florida We have exciting news in the world of invasive species in Florida! As of Oct 2021, Giant African Land Snail (GALS) has been declared eradicated from Broward and Miami-Dade ... READ MORE

Category: Agriculture, Crops, Farm Management, Horticulture, Invasive Species, Pests & Disease, Pests & Disease, Turf, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Extension
Tags: Eradication, Giant African Land Snail, Invasive Species, News, South Florida

We need to hear from YOU!

by BLOGS.IFAS

October 12, 2021

We need to hear from you! Please take a few minutes to share your thoughts about our Florida-Friendly Landscaping outreach. Click the following Qualtrics link to participate in a brief anonymous survey. LINK: https://ufl.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_9zNZnEd2ZAnx9s2 Why ... READ MORE

Category: Conservation, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Fruits & Vegetables, Home Landscapes, Invasive Species, Lawn, Natural Resources, Pests & Disease, Pests & Disease, Turf, Water, Wildlife
Tags: #floridafriendly, #SaveWaterFL, #WorkSmarterNotHarder, Featured, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Landscape, Landscapes, Landscaping, Resilient Landscaping, Save Water, Saving Water, Smart Irrigation, Smart Water Application Technology, Trees, Water Conservation, Water Wise

Peters’s Rock Agama EDIS Publication “Agamaversary”

by Ken Gioeli

October 11, 2021

One year ago today (October 12, 2020), my co-author Dr. Steven Johnson and I published our highly anticipated EDIS publication "Peters's Rock Agama in Florida." We are calling it our first "agamaversary." First introduced to Florida through ... READ MORE

Category: Home Landscapes, Natural Resources, Pests & Disease, Wildlife
Tags: Agama, Nonnative, Reptile

Venomous and Nonvenomous Snakes in Florida

by Ken Gioeli

October 11, 2021

Venomous and nonvenomous snakes are a natural part of the Florida environment. Unfortunately, many people suffer from ophidiophobia - which is a strong anxiety toward all snakes (Schaefer 2019). Having increased knowledge of which snakes are ... READ MORE

Category: Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Forests, Home Landscapes, Lawn, Natural Resources, Pests & Disease, Wildlife
Tags: Nonvenomous, Snakes, Venomous

Pesticide Exposure: What Activities Can Lead to Exposure?

by Dr. Brett Bultemeier

October 7, 2021

In part one of this series, we discussed risk. To have risk, hazard AND exposure must both be present. Remember Risk = Hazard + Exposure. Then we discussed acute, sub-chronic and chronic exposure, and what those mean. Now it is time to dig beyond ... READ MORE

Category: Agribusiness, Agriculture, Crops, Farm Management, Home Landscapes, Horticulture, Pests & Disease, Pests & Disease, Turf
Tags: Activities Of Exposure, Brett Bultemeier, Pesticide Exposure, Pesticide Information Office

Thorn Bugs (Umbonia crassicornis) -New to New Smyrna Beach (Volusia County)

by Karen Stauderman

October 6, 2021

A recent find from a homeowner in New Smyrna Beach (Volusia County) has us scratching our heads. A resident was pruning his pink Powderpuff tree (Calliandra haematocephala), when it led him to the discovery of Thorn bugs, Umbonia crassicornis ... READ MORE

Category: Home Landscapes, Pests & Disease, UF/IFAS Extension
Tags: Powderpuff Tree, Thorn Bugs

Plant Growth Abnormalities

by Beth Bolles

October 4, 2021

Every so often while I am enjoying a walk through the garden, I notice a growth pattern on a plant that is just not normal. One of the more interesting patterns I see is called fasciation. This is a distortion of plant tissue that often causes ... READ MORE

Category: Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Home Landscapes, Pests & Disease
Tags: Genetics, Growth Issues, Pests, Porterweed

Cactus moth (Cactoblastis cactorum) and implications for native Opuntia

by Heather Kalaman

September 27, 2021

Did you know that Florida is home to several species of native cacti? Its true! The prickly pear cactus (Opuntia spp.) produces edible fruit with flowers that bloom a variety of warm-toned colors. These cacti also serve as important nutrient ... READ MORE

Category: Pests & Disease

Tilapia explosion at Silver Springs State Park

by Jennifer Carr

September 27, 2021

The Howard T. Odum Florida Springs Institute (FSI) has found an alarming invasion of Blue tilapia that has replaced the native fish population in Silver Springs State Park based on a recent survey. In 2019, Blue tilapia made up 25% of the ... READ MORE

Category: Invasive Species, Pests & Disease
Tags: Fish, Invasive, Parks, Springs

Asian Bean Thrips – another New Pest Species in Miami-Dade Agriculture

by Qingren Wang, Ph.D.

September 24, 2021

A new species of thrips was first reported on beans in Miami-Dade County in 2020. The size of this insect is very tiny, only about one millimeter long. They mainly stay within vegetable crop flowers, and damage the flowers. This new thrips species, ... READ MORE

Category: Agribusiness, Agriculture, Crops, Farm Management, Horticulture, Pests & Disease, Pests & Disease
Tags: Beans

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