Tag: Pests

Want to grow papaya trees in your backyard? Ask IFAS bilingual resource offers top research tips for success


May 19, 2026

With the right care, papaya trees thrive in Florida backyards, producing sweet fruit and flowers. Depending on the variety, this slender tree can produce more than one bright white flower in less than 12 months. Well suited to Central ... READ MORE

Category: Agribusiness, Agriculture, Blog Community, Conservation, Crops, Fruits & Vegetables, Home Landscapes, Pests & Disease, Pests & Disease, SFYL Hot Topic, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Extension, UF/IFAS Research
Tags: Ask IFAS, ASK UF/IFAS En Espanol, Central Florida, Diseases, English, Food Is Medicine, Harvesting, Healthy, Healthy Environment, Home, Irrigation Needs, Jonathan Crane, Landscape, Papaya, Papaya Growing, Papaya Seeds, Papaya Tree, Pests, Plants, South Florida, Superfruit, Sustainable, UF-IFAS, UF/IFAS Tropical Research And Education Center
Adobe Stock photo 129917074 of Ripe papaya on the tree.

Want to grow papaya trees in your backyard? Ask IFAS bilingual resource offers top research tips for success


May 19, 2026

With the right care, papaya trees thrive in Florida backyards, producing sweet fruit and flowers. Depending on the variety, this slender tree can produce more than one bright white flower in less than 12 months. Well suited to Central ... READ MORE

Category: Agribusiness, Agriculture, Blog Community, Conservation, Crops, Fruits & Vegetables, Home Landscapes, Pests & Disease, Pests & Disease, SFYL Hot Topic, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Extension, UF/IFAS Research
Tags: Ask IFAS, ASK UF/IFAS En Espanol, Central Florida, Diseases, English, Food Is Medicine, Harvesting, Healthy, Healthy Environment, Home, Irrigation Needs, Jonathan Crane, Landscape, Papaya, Papaya Growing, Papaya Seeds, Papaya Tree, Pests, Plants, South Florida, Superfruit, Sustainable, UF-IFAS, UF/IFAS Tropical Research And Education Center

April 2026 First Friday with Florida First Detector


April 6, 2026

Recap of April 2026 First Friday with Florida First Detector This month, we explored several invasive pests that threaten pine forests. Florida has roughly 17 million acres of forestland, with a large portion dominated by pine species. Our ... READ MORE

Category: Agriculture, Conservation, Crops, Farm Management, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Forests, Home Landscapes, Horticulture, Invasive Species, Livestock, Natural Resources, Pests & Disease, Pests & Disease, Professional Development, UF/IFAS Extension
Tags: Disease, Early Detection, Eradication, FFD25-26, FloridaFirstDetector, Forest, Pests, Pines, SeminoleCountyAg
Florida with magnifying glass and insect

April 2026 First Friday with Florida First Detector


April 6, 2026

Recap of April 2026 First Friday with Florida First Detector This month, we explored several invasive pests that threaten pine forests. Florida has roughly 17 million acres of forestland, with a large portion dominated by pine species. Our ... READ MORE

Category: Agriculture, Conservation, Crops, Farm Management, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Forests, Home Landscapes, Horticulture, Invasive Species, Livestock, Natural Resources, Pests & Disease, Pests & Disease, Professional Development, UF/IFAS Extension
Tags: Disease, Early Detection, Eradication, FFD25-26, FloridaFirstDetector, Forest, Pests, Pines, SeminoleCountyAg
Braham Dhillon examining a plam frond at the Fort Lauderdale Research and Education Center (FLREC). Photo taken 10-02-20.

UF/IFAS FNGLA Palm Quest 2026 to unveil next generation AI drone research tools for a changing industry on April 21-22


March 26, 2026

From artificial intelligence that can diagnose palm diseases to drone technology tracking tree health from above, the Palm Quest 2026 Conference will spotlight the future of palm science when it returns to Fort Lauderdale April 21 to 22. Hosted ... READ MORE

Category: Agriculture, Blog Community, , Conservation, Crops, Events, Farm Management, Horticulture, Pests & Disease, Pests & Disease, SFYL Hot Topic, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Extension, UF/IFAS Research
Tags: AI, AI-driven Palm Diagnostics, Artificial Intelligence, Disease, Drones, Ecosystem, Environmental Stressors, Florida, Florida's Ecosystem, Fungal Diseases, Fungal Pathogen, Mica McMillan, Native Palms, Palm Quest 2026, Palm Trees, Palm Varieties, Pests, Plant Health, Soil, Sustainability, UF/IFAS Fort Lauderdale Research Education Center, Urban Environments

UF/IFAS FNGLA Palm Quest 2026 to unveil next generation AI drone research tools for a changing industry on April 21-22


March 26, 2026

From artificial intelligence that can diagnose palm diseases to drone technology tracking tree health from above, the Palm Quest 2026 Conference will spotlight the future of palm science when it returns to Fort Lauderdale April 21 to 22. Hosted ... READ MORE

Category: Agriculture, Blog Community, , Conservation, Crops, Events, Farm Management, Horticulture, Pests & Disease, Pests & Disease, SFYL Hot Topic, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Extension, UF/IFAS Research
Tags: AI, AI-driven Palm Diagnostics, Artificial Intelligence, Disease, Drones, Ecosystem, Environmental Stressors, Florida, Florida's Ecosystem, Fungal Diseases, Fungal Pathogen, Mica McMillan, Native Palms, Palm Quest 2026, Palm Trees, Palm Varieties, Pests, Plant Health, Soil, Sustainability, UF/IFAS Fort Lauderdale Research Education Center, Urban Environments

Papaya banker plant system strengthens biological control of whiteflies


March 24, 2026

A new study finds that papaya banker plants can strengthen control of the sweet potato whitefly, one of the most damaging pests in ornamental crop production. Published in the journal “Biological Control,” the research highlights a promising ... READ MORE

Category: Horticulture, Pests & Disease, Pests & Disease, UF/IFAS Research
Tags: Banker Plants, Biological Control, Cindy McKenzie, Lance Osborne, Papaya, Pests, Poinsettias, Whiteflies, Whitefly
instrumental insemination equipment

Strengthening Honey Bee Colonies Through Queen Instrumental Insemination


March 5, 2026

Background Honey bee colonies (Apis mellifera) continue to face significant losses, largely due to stressors like the parasitic mite Varroa destructor. While chemical treatments are commonly used to treat Varroa, growing resistance has made ... READ MORE

Category: Agriculture, Livestock, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Extension
Tags: #ufbugs, Bees, Entomology, Honey Bee, Honeybee, Pests, PolliNATION, UF-IFAS, UFHoneyBee, UFHoneyBeeLab, UFIFASExtension
small hive beetle in cups

Research Update: Evaluating the Toxicity of Known Western Honey Bee-Safe Insecticides in Controlling Small Hive Beetles (Aethina tumida)


March 3, 2026

Members of the UF/IFAS Honey Bee Research and Extension Laboratory conducted a research project evaluating the toxicity of pesticides on small hive beetles (SHBs) that have previously shown to have low toxicity to honey bees. Below is a summary ... READ MORE

Category: Agriculture, Livestock, Pests & Disease, UF/IFAS Extension, UF/IFAS Research
Tags: #ufbugs, Beekeeping, Bees, Entomology, Honey Bee, Honeybee, Pests, PolliNATION, UF-IFAS, UFHoneyBee, UFHoneyBeeLab, UFIFASExtension

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