Tag: News

Grouper Gobble Unsuspecting Small Spiny Lobsters in Ecological Oddity

by Wes Wolfe
January 14, 2026

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Sometimes it doesn’t pay to trust your instincts. That’s one of the lessons learned by researchers as they witnessed small, juvenile Caribbean spiny lobsters make their way to areas that would be advantageous if ... READ MORE

Category: Coasts & Marine, Conservation, Natural Resources, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Research, Water, Wildlife
Tags: Forest Fisheries And Geomatics Sciences, Natural Resource Conservation, Natural Resources, News, Red Grouper, School Of Forest Fisheries And Geomatics Sciences, SFFGS, Spiny Lobster, UF-IFAS, Wildlife

Add aromatic vanilla to your Valentine’s Day with Ask IFAS’ bilingual guide to DIY homemade vanilla extract

by Lourdes Mederos
January 13, 2026

The holidays may be behind us, but the season of celebration isn’t over. With Valentine’s Day around the corner, you may be wondering how to turn the chill of winter into something sweet, thoughtful and homemade. The University of ... READ MORE

Category: Crops, Home Landscapes, SFYL Hot Topic, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Research
Tags: Aromatic, Ask IFAS, Beans, Capsules, Cured Vanilla Beans, Deserts, DIY, Domestic Vanilla Industry, Food, Guide, Institute Of Food And Agricultural Sciences, News, Orchid, Pods, Polination, Tropical Research And Education Center, UF-IFAS, UF/IFAS Extension, UF/IFAS Tropical Research And Education Center, University Of Florida, Valentine's Day, Vanilla, Vanilla Extract, Vanilla Planifolia, Vanilla-breeding, Vine

Pivotal study unlocks secrets of the invasive short-spined thrips

by Lourdes Mederos
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, , 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

Into the Woods: UF art students find inspiration in Austin Cary Forest

by Wes Wolfe
December 22, 2025

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — A group of University of Florida art students don’t need to be told to go out and touch grass, as getting out into nature is part of the assignment. During the past semester, and for the 15th year, faculty and ... READ MORE

Category: Forests, Natural Resources, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Teaching
Tags: Austin Cary Forest, Forest, Forest Fisheries And Geomatics Sciences, Forestry, Natural Resources, News, School Of Forest Fisheries And Geomatic Sciences, School Of Forest Fisheries And Geomatics Sciences, SFFGS, Trees, UF-IFAS, Video Art

Intentional hosting: The key to a good, stress-free gathering

by Lourdes Mederos
December 18, 2025

Gatherings don’t have to feel overwhelming or revolve entirely around food. The key to a meaningful celebration is intentional hosting, a practice that Jessica Alfonso-Rodriguez experienced and developed while growing up in South Florida. ... READ MORE

Category: Health & Nutrition, Relationships & Family, SFYL Hot Topic, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Extension, Work & Life
Tags: Board Games, Celebration, Connect, Family An D Consumer Sciences, Gatherings, Healthy Appetizers, Holiday, Holiday Gatherings, Institute Of Food And Agricultural Sciences, Intentional Hosting, Jessica Alfonso- Rodriguez, Menu, Mindful Moment, Mindfullness, Mocktails, News, Planning Activities, South Florida, Stress-free, UF/IFAS Extension, UF/IFAS Extension Miami-Dade County, University Of Florida, Yearlong

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

’Tis the season for courting iguanas: Ask IFAS unwraps bilingual guide with timely tips

by Lourdes Mederos
December 2, 2025

Just in time for the holiday season — and the start of the iguana mating period — the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) has unwrapped a bilingual resource for living with one of Florida’s most ... READ MORE

Category: , Home Landscapes, Home Management, Invasive Species, Pests & Disease, Pests & Disease, SFYL Hot Topic, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Research, Wildlife
Tags: Ask IFAS, Ask IFAS En Español, Bilingual, Damage, Florida Law, Fort Lauderdale Research And Education Center, Green Iguanas, Herbivores, Homeowners, Iguana, Invasive, Legal Considerations, Mating Period, News, Non Native, Personal Property, Plants, Resources, South Florida Landscape, Species, Spiny-tailed Iguanas, UF-IFAS, University Of Florida, Unprotected

Innovative tool offers palm owners, growers new line of defense against trunk rot, protecting iconic trees

by Lourdes Mederos
November 13, 2025

Ever wonder why some palm varieties flourish while others suddenly bend at the trunk or topple over completely? From the iconic coconut palm to towering royal palms, these signature features of Florida’s landscapes are facing a silent ... READ MORE

Category: Agribusiness, Conservation, Crops, Home Landscapes, Horticulture, Pests & Disease, Pests & Disease, SFYL Hot Topic, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Research
Tags: Advancement, Biological Controls, Braham Dhillon, Canary Island Date Palms, Coconut Palm, Conservation, Date Palms, Disease, Disease Resistance, Entomology And Nematology, Fort Lauderdale Research And Education Center, Fronds, Fungicides, Germplasm Collection, Institute Of Food And Agricultural Sciences, Invasive, Leaflets, Lethal Fungus, Monica Elliott, News, Palm, Palm Landscape, Pathogens, Plant Pathology, Plant Pathology Department, Research, Resilient, Royal Palms, Thielaviopsis Trunk Rot, Trunk Rot, U.S. Department Of Agriculture Southern Sustainable Agriculture Research And Education (USDA-SSARE), UF-IFAS, University Of Florida, USDA, USDA-ARS, Wahingtonia Palms

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