Tag: Entomology

New Moby Dick-like termite species discovered

by Lourdes Mederos
December 4, 2025

In the canopies of a South American rainforest, a tiny soldier termite has stunned a team of international scientists with its whale-like features. Cryptotermes mobydicki, the name given to the termite by the international research team ... READ MORE

Category: , SFYL Hot Topic, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Research, Wildlife
Tags: Colombia, Cryptotermes, Cryptotermes Mobydicki, Department Of Entomology And Nematology, Discovery, Dominican Republic, Entomology, Evolutionary Story, Fort Lauderdale Research And Education Center, French Guiana, Genus, Herman Melville, International Entomologists, Moby Dick, Neotropical, New Termite Species, News, Rainforest, Rudolf Scheffrahn, Soldier, Soldier Termite, South American Rainforest, Species, Sperm Whale, Termites, Trinidad, UF-IFAS, ZooKeys

The Halloween Pennant: A Festive Dragonfly and Five Plants to Attract More Like It

by Bonnie Wells
October 30, 2025

When you think of Halloween, you might picture bats swooping through the twilight or the rustle of leaves beneath a moonlit sky as an owl perches high in the trees, ready to take flight. But there’s another winged creature that fits the ... READ MORE

Category: Conservation, Natural Resources, UF/IFAS Extension, Wildlife
Tags: Biodiversity, Dragonflies, Entomology, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Natural Resources

Trailblazing entomologist’s gift creates a home for students, future scientists – and a legacy of belonging

by Lourdes Mederos
October 23, 2025

The University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) will celebrate a milestone moment on Nov. 1 at 4:30 p.m., when the doors open to the Pauline O. Lawrence Student Residence at the UF/IFAS Tropical Research ... READ MORE

Category: Agriculture, Crops, Pests & Disease, Pests & Disease, SFYL Hot Topic, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Extension, UF/IFAS Research, UF/IFAS Teaching
Tags: Agriculture, Dormitory, Edward "Gilly" Evans, Edward Evans, Emeritus Professor Carlton Davis, Empathy, Entomology, Enviroment, First Black Female Graduate Student, Food And Resource Economics, Fruit Flies, Future Scientists, Graduate Students, Groves, IFAS, Institute Of Food And Agricultural Sciences, J. Scott Angle, Miami-Dade County, Natural Resources, News, Pauline O. Lawrence Student Residence, Resilience, Richard Baranowski, South Florida, Students, TREC, TREC Dormitory Fund, Tropical Fruit, Tropical Research And Education Center, Tropical Vegetable, Tropics, UF, UF-IFAS, UF/IFAS Tropical Research And Education Center, University Of Florida

Researchers enlist Florida residents in the fight against citrus greening

by Megan Winslow
August 28, 2025

Most people know Florida’s citrus industry is struggling with citrus greening. The threat, however, doesn’t exist in a silo, and residential trees – where the plant disease was first detected in the state – can serve as reservoirs for ... READ MORE

Category: Agribusiness, Agriculture, Crops, Fruits & Vegetables, Pests & Disease, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Extension
Tags: ACP, Asian Citrus Psyllid, Bay, Citrus, Citrus Care, Citrus Greening, Cold Hardy Citrus, Columbia, Danielle Williams, Diaphorina Citri, Educational, Entomology, Gadsden, HLB, Huanglongbing, IFAS, Institute Of Food And Agricultural Sciences, Integrated Pest Management, Jefferson, Laura Warner, Lauren Diepenbrock, Leon, Management, Mesh Bags, North Florida, Orange, Pest, Plant Disease, Reflective Mulch, Research, Romain Exilien, Santa Rosa, UF, UF-IFAS, University Of Florida, Workshop, Xavier Martini

Citizen scientists: Join the pollinator count and help the bees

by Brad Buck
July 30, 2025

About 70% of the world’s crop production relies on pollinator insects for survival. That makes it helpful to know how many pollinators are out there. As a citizen scientist, you can participate in this year’s Great Southeast Pollinator ... READ MORE

Category: SFYL Hot Topic
Tags: Bees, Butterflies, Carpenter Bees, Citizen Scientists, Count, Entomology, Flies, Great Southeast Pollinator Census, Honey Bees, Jeremy Rhoden, Lorna Bravo, Moths, Plants, Pollinators, Tia Silvasy, UF/IFAS Extension, UF/IFAS Extension Broward County, UF/IFAS Extension Hillsborough County, UF/IFAS Extension Marion County, Wasps

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

by moniquescoggin
July 16, 2025

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

From itchy bites to asthma triggers: Why one scientist studies what’s bugging us

by Lourdes Mederos
July 14, 2025

From bed bugs in bedrooms and cockroaches in kitchens to the latest invasive pests spreading into new communities, the uninvited guests that sneak into our homes are more than just nuisances—they can be public health threats, economic ... READ MORE

Category: Crops, Disaster Preparation, Home Landscapes, Invasive Species, Pests & Disease, Pests & Disease, SFYL Hot Topic, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Extension, UF/IFAS Research, Work & Life
Tags: Allergenic Proteins, Allergens, Bd Bugs, Bites, Bugs, Cockroaches, Data-driven, Entomology, Extension Outreach, Fort Lauderdale Research And Education Center, Health Risk, Histamine, Homes, Households, Human Immune Response, Insects, Invasive Pests, Johnalyn Gordon, Lourdes Mederos, Pest-management Solutions, Pests, Species, Structural Pests, Threats, Tropical Climate, Urban Pests

UF/IFAS program expands ag education in Florida primary, secondary schools

by Megan Winslow
May 15, 2025

Not every child grows up with a deep understanding of the agricultural systems that supply the food we eat every day. The Florida Teacher Institute, a collaboration of the UF/IFAS College of Agricultural and Life Sciences (CALS) and the UF/IFAS ... READ MORE

Category: Agriculture
Tags: Aec, Agricultural, Agricultural Education And Communication, Agriculture, Animal Sciences, CALS, Career, Charlotte Emerson, College Of Agricultural And Life Sciences, Curriculum, Entomology, Environmental, Florida Teacher Institute, Food Science, Food Security, IFAS, Institute Of Food And Agricultural Sciences, Megan Winslow, Mentor, Monique Salazar, Nematology, Peer, Science, Student, Summer, Teacher, Teaching, UF, UF-IFAS, University Of Florida

Who’s that critter? UF/IFAS wildlife series spotlights Florida’s native termites

by Megan Winslow
May 14, 2025

Boasting more than 80 distinct ecosystems, Florida is a biodiversity hot spot. More than 4,000 animal species, in fact, are native to the Sunshine State. (more…) READ MORE

Category: Wildlife
Tags: Animal, Bug, Entomology, Florida Critter Of The Month, FLREC, Fort Lauderdale Research And Education Center, IFAS, Insect, Institute Of Food And Agricultural Sciences, Megan Winslow, Native, Subterranean Termites, Termite, Thomas Chouvenc, UF, UF-IFAS, University Of Florida, Who's That Critter?, Wildlife

Protecting your plate and farmer’s harvests: UF/IFAS entomologist fights for Florida’s crops against costly pests

by Lourdes Mederos
March 31, 2025

Behind every fresh head of lettuce and pepper on your plate, there’s a team of scientists working tirelessly to protect crops and farmers’ harvests from pests and plant diseases. De-Fen Mou, an assistant professor of entomology at ... READ MORE

Category: Agribusiness, Agriculture, , Conservation, Crops, Events, Farm Management, Pests & Disease, Pests & Disease, SFYL Hot Topic, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Extension, UF/IFAS Research
Tags: Agricultural Pests, Aphids, De-Fen Mou, Department Of Entomology And Nematology, Diseases, Entomology, Entomology And Nematology, EREC Agricultural Vector Entomology Lab, Everglades Research And Education Center, Hemiptera, Institute Of Food And Agricultural Sciences, Invasive, Leafhoppers, News, Pests, Plant Diseases, Planthoppers, Samira Daroub, Thrips, Thrips Parvispinus, Thysanopterans, UF-IFAS, UF/IFAS Extension, Whiteflies

Subscribe For More Great Content