Tag: Integrated Pest Management

The Eastern Lubber Grasshopper: Pest Control


May 26, 2026

The Eastern Lubber Grasshopper Does the grasshopper pictured below look familiar to you? Eastern lubbers are common in Central/Southern Florida, especially at this time of year. You may see clusters of small to medium-sized black grasshoppers ... READ MORE

Category: Horticulture
Tags: Biological Pest Control, Eastern Lubber Grasshopper, Insect Pest, Integrated Pest Management, IPM, Pest Control, Pest Management, Romalea Microptera

Lovebugs are back! But experts say the familiar Florida pest is a harmless nuisance


May 19, 2026

They may be one of Florida’s most complained-about insects, but lovebug swarms are short-lived, harmless, and even helpful in their early life stages, researchers say.   While many will have to swat them away while crossing parking ... READ MORE

Category: Blog Community, UF/IFAS
Tags: Bug Season, Car Care, Decomposition, Department Of Entomology And Nematology, Ecosystem Benefits, Environmental Education, Fans For Insects, Featured, Florida Insects, Florida Wildlife, Harmless Insects, Highway Driving Tips, Home Prevention, Insect Control, Insect Ecology, Insect Swarms, Integrated Pest Management, Larvae, Lovebugs, Natural Cycles, Non Toxic Pest Control, Nuisance Insects, Outdoor Tips, Pest Management, Seasonal Pests, Soil Health, UF-IFAS
A collage photo of crops that are impacted by the two-spot cotton leafhopper pest. From left to right, Florida commodities include cotton, tropical hibiscus, okra and eggplant.

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


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
Hibiscus rosa-sinensis is a genus of flowering plants.

Pivotal study unlocks secrets of the invasive short-spined thrips


January 6, 2026

Highlights Short-spined thrips are devastating ornamentals and crops worldwide, thriving in South Florida’s warm climate and spreading fast. In a novel study, UF/IFAS researchers mapped the pest’s biology life cycle, reproduction ... READ MORE

Category: Agribusiness, Agriculture, Blog Community, , Crops, Home Landscapes, Horticulture, Invasive Species, Pests & Disease, Pests & Disease, SFYL Hot Topic, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Research
Tags: Acarology, Alexandra Revynthi, Beans, Beneficial, Beneficial Bugs, Beneficial Nematodes, Department Of Entomology And Nematology, Eggplants, Entomology And Nematology, Gardenias, Gardens, Growers, Hibiscus, Homeowners, Integrated Pes Management, Invasive, Invasive Insect, IPM, Mandevillas, Nematodes, News, Nurseries, Ornamental, Ornamental Entomology, Ornamental Plants, Peppers, Plant Pathology, Sanitation, Sanitation Practices, Short-spined Thrips, Thrips, Thrips Parvispinus, Tropical Research And Education Center, UF-IFAS, University Of Florida

Pivotal study unlocks secrets of the invasive short-spined thrips


January 6, 2026

Highlights Short-spined thrips are devastating ornamentals and crops worldwide, thriving in South Florida’s warm climate and spreading fast. In a novel study, UF/IFAS researchers mapped the pest’s biology life cycle, reproduction ... READ MORE

Category: Agribusiness, Agriculture, Blog Community, , Crops, Home Landscapes, Horticulture, Invasive Species, Pests & Disease, Pests & Disease, SFYL Hot Topic, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Research
Tags: Acarology, Alexandra Revynthi, Beans, Beneficial, Beneficial Bugs, Beneficial Nematodes, Department Of Entomology And Nematology, Eggplants, Entomology And Nematology, Gardenias, Gardens, Growers, Hibiscus, Homeowners, Integrated Pes Management, Invasive, Invasive Insect, IPM, Mandevillas, Nematodes, News, Nurseries, Ornamental, Ornamental Entomology, Ornamental Plants, Peppers, Plant Pathology, Sanitation, Sanitation Practices, Short-spined Thrips, Thrips, Thrips Parvispinus, Tropical Research And Education Center, UF-IFAS, University Of Florida
a blue fountain filled with plants surrounded by shell walkways and layers of green, maroon and pink plants in the background.

UF/IFAS Extension Orange County Commercial Horticulture Classes–2026


December 11, 2025

Good things are growing in Orange County, Florida! Let’s keep our minds as sharp as our tools and learn together in 2026. The exciting line-up of classes is designed to build upon topics from the basics to specifics of commercial horticulture ... READ MORE

Category: Agriculture, Events, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Horticulture, Lawn, Pests & Disease, Pests & Disease, Professional Development, Turf, UF/IFAS Extension, Water
Tags: BMP, CEU, CEUs, Cflandscapes, Fertilizer, FFL, Florida, Florida Friendly, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Garden, Gardening, Horticulture, Hwooten, IPM, Landscape, Landscape Management, Orange County, Palm, Palm; Palms; Turf, Palms, Pest Control, Tree, Trees, Turfgrass; Best Practices; Bmp; Bmps, UF/IFAS Extension Orange County
Pablo Agustin Boeri determining water infiltration rates of plots at the West Florida Research and Education Center (WFREC). Photo taken 08-24-22.

What’s New on Ask IFAS: UF/IFAS Gulf Coast REC (Sept.–Oct.)


October 31, 2025

Using Banker Plants as an Additional Tool in Strawberry Integrated Pest Management Allan Busuulwa, Lovely Adhikary, and Sriyanka Lahiri. The invasive Scirtothrips dorsalis Hood (Thysanoptera: Thripidae) is currently the most significant pest ... READ MORE

Category: Agriculture, Crops, Home Landscapes, Lawn, Pests & Disease
Tags: Banker Plants, Flowering Plants, Integrated Pest Management, Irrigation, Strawberries, Turfgrass And Lawncare Industry

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