UF/IFAS GLOBAL BLOGS
The UF/IFAS Extension St Lucie County and the UF/IFAS Indian River Research and Education Center are teaming up with partner agencies to conduct Air Potato Challenge Days in 2019. During these events, residents and public land managers struggling… Read More
From the desk of the UF/IFAS researcher, here is the latest pointers for Brazilian Pepper Tree Control. How does Brazilian Pepper impact the environment? Brazilian peppertree, Schinus terebinthifolia, a relative of poison ivy, is one of the most… Read More
As spring approaches, we should all be aware that our pest problems will reappear. There are many types of pests to consider: insects, weeds, nematodes, and even some vertebrate species (such as the Cuban tree frog). When combined… Read More
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Hungry Formosan termites farm antibiotics from their homes, which they make from their own recycled fecal waste, new University of Florida research shows. These beneficial bacteria make the destructive bugs immune to natural control methods…. Read More
I’m not sure about everyone else, but I have some favorite insects I encounter a lot around the garden. Most of these are ones that I see at work to help make the landscape work better such as… Read More
A note on the Chinese Tallow Flea Beetle from Dr. William Kern, UF/IFAS Associate professor: I hope to offer a reasonable argument why Florida Beekeepers should support the release of the Chinese tallow flea beetle, Bikasha collaris (Coleoptera:… Read More
By Dr. Christopher Kerr1 and Dr. Carey Minteer2 1: Division of Plant Industry, Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, Gainesville FL 2: University of Florida, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, Indian Rover Research and Education Center,… Read More
You may recognize the long twining vines and glossy heart-shaped leaves of the exotic air potato vine,but would you recognize its greatest enemy in Florida? Air potato leaf beetles are small red beetles with a black head (see… Read More
Air potato (Dioscorea bulbifera) is an invasive plant in Florida that can quite literally take over—its vines can cover whole areas of vegetation, and it can even climb up into trees. Learn more about this invasive plant and… Read More
Biological control is the practice in agriculture and environmental stewardship of using the “natural enemies” of pests and invasives to control these unwanted plants or animals.1,2 These natural enemies may be predatory, parasitic, or infectious toward the target… Read More
