Category: Pests & Disease

Blazing Star

Bee Attractors: for the Best Pollinators!

by Maria Quirico
September 24, 2025

Central Florida wildflowers attract many pollinators, and the best are honeybees and native bees. So what plants should we add to our garden to bring bees into our backyard habitat? Here are a few things to consider.   Bee Attractors ... READ MORE

Category: 4-H & Youth, Agriculture, Clubs & Volunteers, Curriculum, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Fruits & Vegetables, Home Landscapes, Horticulture, Lawn, Natural Resources, Pests & Disease, Wildlife
Mosquito sucking blood

Winged Menaces: Mosquitoes, Pets, and Growing Risk of Disease, Series 6

by Lisa Hickey
September 22, 2025

Mosquitoes are more than just a summertime winged menace; they can have a lethal impact on humans and our pets. Known for spreading diseases like malaria, dengue, and Zika among humans, these tiny insects also pose serious threats to our pets ... READ MORE

Category: Agriculture, , Home Landscapes, Livestock, Pests & Disease, Pests & Disease
Tags: Control Mosquitoes, Dog Heartworm Prevention, Mosquitoes, Pets And Mosquitoes, Potbellied Pigs And Mosquitoes, Prevention, Sentinel Chicken Program
Crumb cleaner device on brown counter with blue wall in background (a crumb cleaner is a mini vacuum that cleans surfaces like counters)

Don’t Be Crummy: Prevent Pest Infestations (Get a FREE Crumb Cleaner!)

by Jackie Lebouitz
September 19, 2025

Ants afoot in your kitchen? Perhaps a cockroach or two crawling across your garage? Or...egad, a rat rifling around your pantry? Well, while these experiences may happen to the best of us on occasion, they are certainly less than welcome. The ... READ MORE

Category: Home Landscapes, Home Management, Pests & Disease, UF/IFAS Extension, Wildlife
Tags: Clean, Home, House, Integrated Pest Management, IPM, Pests, Pgm_Chemicals

Pruning Tropical and Sub-tropical Fruit Trees

by Jeff Wasielewski
September 17, 2025

The art and science of pruning takes time and thought. Before making your first cut, study the tree’s potential size and natural shape, and imagine how it might appear in three to four years. Try to maintain that shape in your mind as you ... READ MORE

Category: Agribusiness, Agriculture, , Crops, Farm Management, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Fruits & Vegetables, Home Landscapes, Horticulture, Pests & Disease, Pests & Disease, SFYL Hot Topic, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Extension

Palms: Overview & Resources

by Hannah Eason
September 16, 2025

Palms Overview 1. Select the right palm for the right place. Soil pH matters for certain palms. Native palms are generally better adapted to Florida and provide other benefits, especially for wildlife. 2. Determine if the palm has a crownshaft ... READ MORE

Category: Disaster Preparation, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Forests, Home Landscapes, Home Management, Horticulture, Lawn, Pests & Disease, Pests & Disease, Turf, UF/IFAS Extension, Water, Wildlife
Tags: Agent, Central Florida Gardening, Cflandscapes, Class, Crownshaft, Deficient, Diagnostics, Fertilizer, FFL, Florida, Florida Friendly, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Hwooten, Landscape, Landscapes, Lawn, Lethal Bronzing, Native Palm, Palm, Palms, Prune, Pruning, Pruning Palms, Resorts, Tree
Hibiscus rosa-sinensis is a genus of flowering plants.

UF/IFAS warns of emerging pest threatening South Florida crops: Two-spot cotton leafhopper detected

by Lourdes Mederos
September 15, 2025

The University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) is alerting growers to a new pest of concern making its mark in South Florida farms and nurseries: the invasive two-spot cotton leafhopper. Measuring ... READ MORE

Category: Agribusiness, Agriculture, Conservation, Crops, Farm Management, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Fruits & Vegetables, Home Landscapes, Horticulture, Invasive Species, Pests & Disease, Pests & Disease, SFYL Hot Topic, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Extension, UF/IFAS Research
Tags: Acarology, Alexandra Revynthi, Cotton, Entomology And Nematology, FDACS, Florida Department Of Agriculture And Consumer Services Division Of Plant Industry, Flowers, Hibiscus, Hibiscus Flowers, Home Gardens, Institute Of Food And Agricultural Sciences, News, Okra, Ornamental Hibiscus, Peanut, Plant Pathology, Potato, Soybean, Sunflower, Tropical Hibiscus, Tropical Research And Education Center, Two-spot Cotton Leafhopper, UF-IFAS, UF/IFAS Extension, UF/IFAS Extension Miami-Dade County, University Of Florida
A picture after fieldwork, moving Brazilian pepper debris alongside Beth Curry

How one UF/IFAS Extension agent is planting the seeds for a greener St. Lucie County – together with residents

by Lourdes Mederos
September 15, 2025

From backyard gardens to countywide conservation, Sara Salgado MacDonald is helping St. Lucie County residents grow greener, healthier landscapes. As an urban horticulture Extension agent with the University of Florida Institute of Food ... READ MORE

Category: Agribusiness, Agriculture, Community Volunteers, Conservation, Events, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Home Landscapes, Horticulture, Invasive Species, Lawn, Natural Resources, Pests & Disease, Pests & Disease, SFYL Hot Topic, UF/IFAS
Tags: Biological Control, Entomology And Nematology, Environmental Horticulture, Florida Vegetable Gardening, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Gardening, Herb Gardening, Horticultural Sciences, Horticulture, IFAS, Insects, Institute Of Food And Agricultural Sciences, Invasive, Master Gardener Volunteer Program, News, Pollinators, Robert O’Neil Award For Outstanding Ph.D. Student In Biological Control 2023, Sara Salgado MacDonald, UF-IFAS, UF/IFAS Extension, UF/IFAS Extension St. Lucie County, University Of Florida, Urban Horticulture, Vegetable Gardening

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