Tag: biological control

A ray of hope in the battle against citrus greening: Three bugs eat the eggs of the psyllid

by Brad Buck
April 21, 2026

A few tiny heroes may help fight Florida’s long-running battle against citrus greening disease. That’s good news for commercial growers as well as to residents who plant citrus trees in their yards at home, say University of Florida scientists. Researchers ... READ MORE

Category: Agriculture, Home Landscapes, UF/IFAS
Tags: Asian Citrus Psyllid, Biocontrol, Biological Control, Citrus, Citrus Greening Disease, Dooryard Citrus, Eating, Eggs, Entomology, Field Testing, Growers, Home Citrus, Huanglongbing (HLB), Jawwad Qureshi, Laboratory, Larvae, North Florida Research And Education Center, Predator, Romain Exilien, Southwest Florida Research And Education Center, Xavier Martini

Student Spotlight: Saving Florida’s avocados- a potential biocontrol

by moniquescoggin
April 14, 2026

Marielle de Moraes Berto is a fourth year PhD candidate in Dr. Daniel Carrillo’s tropical fruit entomology lab at the UF/IFAS Tropical Research & Education Center (TREC). Marielle is a native of Piracicaba, Brazil where she studied Biological ... READ MORE

Category: Agriculture, Fruits & Vegetables, Pests & Disease, Pests & Disease, UF/IFAS Research
Tags: Acarology, Avocados, Biological Control, Entomology, Tropical Fruits

UF study gives strawberry growers a ray of (UV) light at the end of their pest tunnel

by Brad Buck
April 13, 2026

BALM, Fla. --- For a few years, University of Florida plant pathologist Natalia Peres has used an ultraviolet light system to thwart strawberry pathogens. Peres even published a study this year that showed the system helps control powdery mildew. Two ... READ MORE

Category: Crops, Pests & Disease
Tags: Biological Control, Chilli Thrips, College Of Agricultural And Life Sciences, Joseph Montemayor, Mites, Natalia Peres, Pests, Sriyanka Lahiri, Strawberries, UVC Radiation

Papaya banker plant system strengthens biological control of whiteflies

by Stella Canfield
March 25, 2026

A new study finds that papaya banker plants can strengthen control of the sweet potato whitefly, one of the most damaging pests in ornamental crop production. Published in the journal “Biological Control,” the research highlights a promising ... READ MORE

Category: Horticulture, Pests & Disease, Pests & Disease, UF/IFAS Research
Tags: Banker Plants, Biological Control, Cindy McKenzie, Lance Osborne, Papaya, Pests, Poinsettias, Whiteflies, Whitefly

Florida’s Floating Islands

by Olivia Doyle
March 24, 2026

By Jackson Jablonski, agronomy master's student with UF/IFAS Center for Aquatic and Invasive Plants (CAIP) In 1937, a lake in north-central Florida burst into a local newspaper headline with the news of an amazing new tourist destination ... READ MORE

Category: Agriculture, Invasive Species, Natural Resources, Water
Tags: Archive, Biological Control, CAIP, Turning Science Into Solutions, UF/IFAS CAIP

Not So Scary Biological Control Agents

by Olivia Doyle
March 24, 2026

While you may find some of these creatures spooky, biological control agents are not so scary after all. Biological control agents include insects, fish, or pathogens that target a specific invasive plant and increase the competitive advantage ... READ MORE

Category: Work & Life
Tags: Air Potato, Alligatorweed, Aquatic Plants, Archive, Biological Control, Brazilian Peppertree, CAIP, Halloween, Hydrilla, Melaleuca, Turing Science Into Solutions, Ufifascaip, Water Hyacinth

Can two native wasps help regulate invasive leafhopper populations attacking Florida’s crops?

by Lourdes Mederos
March 19, 2026

Most people retreat at the sight of a wasp, yet University of Florida researchers’ discovery of two newly identified tiny native wasps targeting an invasive pest that threatened Florida agriculture may be a hopeful sign for growers. In ... READ MORE

Category: Agriculture, Blog Community, , Conservation, Crops, Invasive Species, Pests & Disease, Pests & Disease, SFYL Hot Topic, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Extension, UF/IFAS Research
Tags: Acarology, Agriculture, Alexandra Revynthi, Anagrus Sp. Near Vulneratus, Anagrus Vulneratus, Beneficial Pests, Biocontrol, Biological Control, Chemical Inputs, Cotton, Eggplant, Entomology And Nematology, High-value Crops, Institute Of Food And Agricultural Sciences, Integrated Pest Management, News, Okra, Ornamental Entomology, Pest, Roselle, Spanish, Sunflower, Tropical Hibiscus, Two-spot Cotton Leafhopper, UF-IFAS, Wasp

Under siege: Two pests threaten Florida strawberries – but new research may bring relief

by Brad Buck
January 22, 2026

Florida’s strawberry fields may look vibrant and abundant this time of year, but beneath those glossy leaves, a quiet battle is raging. At the very moment growers hit peak production, two long-established but relentless adversaries surge onto ... READ MORE

Category: Agribusiness, Agriculture
Tags: Abigail Campos Gutiérrez, Allan Busuulwa, Biological Control, Chilli Thrips, Crop, Crop Damage, Entomology, Environment, Florida Strawberry Season, Growers, Gulf Coast Research And Education Center, Neoseiulus Californicus, Pesticides, Predatory Mites, Prey, Sriyanka Lahiri, Strawberries, Strawberry Growers, Twospotted Spider Mite

Banker plants effective for managing thrips on roses

by Tory Moore
October 7, 2025

Chilli thrips are a nuisance to rose growers, as their feeding causes foliar and flower damage. For the first time, UF/IFAS researchers investigated the utility of a banker plant system for managing chilli thrips on roses. Recently published ... READ MORE

Category: Agribusiness, Agriculture, Crops, Home Landscapes, Horticulture, Pests & Disease, Pests & Disease, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Research
Tags: Banker Plants, Biological Control, Chilli Thrips, Department Of Entomology And Nematology, Entomology, Entomology And Nematology, Mid-Florida Research And Education Center, Predatory Mites, Thrips, UF/IFAS Mid-Florida Research And Education Center

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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