Category: Pests & Disease

What is This? Gall Mites!

by Michelle Leonard-Mularz
August 30, 2022

Visiting different properties around the Keys, I’ve noticed an increased number of Mexican petunia plants, Ruellia simplex, covered in white patches. These aren’t mealybugs or whiteflies, it is caused by gall mites and it's the plants ... READ MORE

Category: , Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Home Landscapes, NATURAL RESOURCES, Pests & Disease
Tags: Florida Friendly Landscaping, Florida Keys, Gall Mites, Invasive Species, IPM Florida, Native Plants, Ruellia

What is Witch’s Broom

by Michelle Leonard-Mularz
November 12, 2021

Witch’s broom is a symptom of stress in woody plants that causes deformed or stunted growth on newly expanding buds and leaves. This stress causes the disruption of stem elongation, leaf development and expansion, and can cause a broom-like ... READ MORE

Category: , Home Landscapes, Horticulture, Pests & Disease

The Ways Insects Benefit Our Yards

by Michelle Leonard-Mularz
June 4, 2021

When we think about insects in our yards and gardens, our first thought is probably not about all the many good things they do. But make no mistake, there are far more good bugs than bad bugs which benefit our yards in numerous ways; just ... READ MORE

Category: , Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Home Landscapes, NATURAL RESOURCES, Pests & Disease
Tags: Agriculture, Beneficial Insects, Biodiversity, Diversity, Florida, Florida Friendly Landscaping, Florida Keys, Insect Diversity, Insects, IPM Florida, Native Plants

Herbicide Damage to Woody Plants

by Michelle Leonard-Mularz
August 23, 2019

What is killing my trees? This has been a common thread of some calls our office, and other departments within the County, have received recently. Distorted growth, severe stunting, and shoot proliferation have all been reported on mature ... READ MORE

Category: , Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Home Landscapes, Pests & Disease
Tags: Buttonwoods, Florida Keys, Gumbo Limbo, Herbicide Damage, Plant Problems

Climate Change Is a Current and Future Issue

by Alicia Betancourt
November 30, 2018

The nation’s economy, public health, infrastructure, and natural resources face an immediate and continued threat from climate change impacts, warns the comprehensive 4th National Climate Assessment (NCA4) released last Friday. The report ... READ MORE

Category: , Coasts & Marine, Conservation, Disaster Preparation, NATURAL RESOURCES, Pests & Disease, UF/IFAS Extension, Water
Tags: Climate Change, Global Warming, Sea Level Rise

Royal Poinciana Caterpillar

by Michelle Leonard-Mularz
August 1, 2018

Almost as if a starting bell rang, hundreds of Royal Poinciana caterpillars can be seen ascending Royal Poinciana trees just after sunset. Then, nearly in harmony with daylight cresting over the horizon, their decent begins and the caterpillars ... READ MORE

Category: Home Landscapes, Horticulture, Pests & Disease
Tags: Pest Infestation, Royal Poinciana Caterpillar

There’s Bugs On My Plants! What Do I Do?

by Michelle Leonard-Mularz
July 26, 2018

This is the time of year where there is an increase in disease and pest pressures with our high temperatures and summer rains. So if you find bugs on your plants, before you reach for your arsenal of chemicals in your storage shed, it is ... READ MORE

Category: , Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Home Landscapes, Horticulture, Pests & Disease
Tags: Beneficial Insects, Florida Keys, IPM, Pest Identification, Plant Clinics

What’s Eating My Ficus?

by Michelle Leonard-Mularz
May 18, 2018

Skeletonized leaves; Help! Help! What’s killing my Ficus trees? These are the questions, subject lines, and visits to our Extension office that have filled my days the last couple weeks. Residents saying, “It sounds like it’s raining under ... READ MORE

Category: Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Horticulture, Pests & Disease
Tags: Caterpillar, Edwards Wasp Moth, Ficus, Strangler Fig

Giant Whip Scorpion

by kgabel
July 1, 2014

Every few months or so I get calls about a strange creature, found on their property. I ask for a photo or to bring in a sample for identification into the Extension office. It is called the Giant Whip Scorpion, it is an arachnid that has neither ... READ MORE

Category: Home Landscapes, Pests & Disease, UF/IFAS Extension
Tags: Insects

Bug of the Month – Aphid

by kgabel
May 27, 2014

Aphids are soft bodied pear-shaped insects generally less than 1/8 inch long and usually green in color but many are black, brown, pink, yellow, blue, or white. Most aphids are wingless but when colonies become overcrowded or the host plant ... READ MORE

Category: Home Landscapes, Horticulture, Pests & Disease
Tags: Insects, Plant Problems

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