Above: A green lacewing larva catches a spider mite. UF/IFAS photo by Lyle Buss. A predator is an organism that eats multiple organisms (prey) throughout its lifetime. Predators of pests are often used in biological control. Spiders, lacewing ... READ MORE
Category: Pests & Disease
Above: Hover flies are useful in biological control because their young (larvae) love to eat aphids, which are a pest. UF/IFAS photo by Paul Choate. Have you ever seen something flying around that had black and yellow stripes like a bee but ... READ MORE
Category: Agriculture, Pests & Disease
The southern chinch bug, Blissus insularis, is a tiny bug with a big appetite. Though it will attack many plant species, this bug especially loves to feed on St. Augustinegrass, which happens to be the most popular turfgrass species in Florida. The ... READ MORE
Category: Agriculture, Pests & Disease, Turf
Pathogens are disease-causing agents; they can be bacteria, viruses, or protozoa, among other things. In order for a pathogen to survive and reproduce, it needs two things: a vector and a host. “Vector” is a noun that refers to any organism ... READ MORE
Category: Agriculture, 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
Depending on how you define the term “bug,” sting nematodes might not be bugs at all. Yes, they’re small invertebrates (animals without backbones), and might give you the heebie-jeebies when you think about them. But unlike insects or ... READ MORE
Category: Agriculture, Pests & Disease, Turf
Integrated Pest Management (IPM) is a way to protect buildings, farms and other places from pests while minimizing pesticide use and treatment costs. As our world becomes more global, the number of invasive species in Florida will continue to ... READ MORE
Category: Agriculture, Pests & Disease
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
Though it sounds like the new craze in carbonated beverages, tropical soda apple is not refreshing or fun. A prickly shrub from the nightshade family, tropical soda apple is known scientifically as Solanum viarum. It’s native to South America, ... READ MORE
Category: Agriculture, Pests & Disease
The word arbovirus is an example of a portmanteau, a word that was created by mashing together portions of other words. It’s a noun that means “arthropod-borne virus,” but takes less time to say. The word was created by taking “ar” ... READ MORE
Category: Agriculture, Pests & Disease