Category: NATURAL RESOURCES

What’s New With The Florida Organo-Auxin Rule?

by Dr. Jason Ferrell and Dr. Brett Bultemeier

December 16, 2025

The Florida Organo-Auxin Rule (5E-2.033) has been in place for several decades. The purpose of this rule is to place additional restrictions and recordkeeping requirements on the use of auxin herbicides (such as 2,4-D, dicamba, and triclopyr) ... READ MORE

Category: Agriculture, Blog Community, Crops, HOME LANDSCAPES, NATURAL RESOURCES, Pests & Disease, Pests & Disease, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Extension
Tags: Archived, Brett Bultemeier, FDACS, Herbicides, Jason Ferrell, Organo-auxin, Pesticide Information Office, Rules, Update

Hats and Pesticides

by Dr. Brett Bultemeier
December 11, 2025

To Hat or Not to Hat, That is the Question. It is common to see pesticide technicians in hats, particularly logoed ballcaps. They are practical for keeping the sun off while providing visibility for the company logo. The more worn in a hat ... READ MORE

Category: Agribusiness, Agriculture, Farm Management, Food Safety, HOME LANDSCAPES, Horticulture, NATURAL RESOURCES, Pests & Disease, Pests & Disease, Turf, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Extension
Tags: Archived, Brett Bultemeier, Chemicals, Hat, Launder, Personal Protective Equipment, Pesticide Safety, Pesticides, PPE, Protection, Safety

IPM: The Struggle in Defining a Strategy

by Bonnie Wells and Dr. Brett Bultemeier

August 11, 2025

If you are in the world of pesticides, you have likely heard of “IPM” Integrated Pest Management and probably have some sense of what it is. If you were asked to fully define it though, could you? Would your definition be outdated? Would ... READ MORE

Category: Agribusiness, Agriculture, Blog Community, Conservation, Crops, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Fruits & Vegetables, HOME LANDSCAPES, Horticulture, Invasive Species, Lawn, NATURAL RESOURCES, Pests & Disease, Pests & Disease, Turf, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Extension
Tags: Archived, Bonnie Wells, Brett Bultemeier, Brevard County, Chemicals, Integrated Pest Management, IPM, Management, Pesticide Information Office, Pesticides, PIO

What’s the Buzz on Bees?

by Amy Vu and Dr. Brett Bultemeier

June 24, 2025

Florida is known for many of its “Fresh from Florida” commodities such as citrus, tomatoes, blueberries, strawberries, watermelons, beans, and sweet corn, but what role do honey bees play in the production of these crops? Did you know that ... READ MORE

Category: Agriculture, Blog Community, Conservation, Crops, Farm Management, HOME LANDSCAPES, Horticulture, Livestock, NATURAL RESOURCES, Pests & Disease, Pests & Disease, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Extension, Wildlife
Tags: Amy Vu, Archived, Bee, Brett Bultemeier, Honey Bee, Honey Bee Research And Extension Lab, Integrated Pest Management, Jamie Ellis, Pest Management, Pesticide Information Office, Pesticides, Pollinator Protection, Pollinator Week Cross Pollination, Pollinators, Sylvia Willis, UF Honey Bee Lab

Alone We Can Do So Little

by Dr. Brett Bultemeier
June 17, 2025

July is busy for the Pesticide Information Office. I will be on the road and out of the office for most of that month. The title of this blog comes from a Helen Keller quote, and the full quote is “Alone we can do so little; together we ... READ MORE

Category: Agriculture, Blog Community, Invasive Species, NATURAL RESOURCES, Pests & Disease, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Extension
Tags: AAPSE, APMS, Archived, Brett Bultemeier, Certification And Training, EPA, License, PACT, Pesticide Information Office

Pesticide Resistance: Does it Really Matter?

by Dr. Jason Ferrell and Dr. Brett Bultemeier

June 3, 2025

The use of modern pesticides didn’t ramp up until the late 1940’s. This era provided a seemingly unending stream of new products that became increasingly more effective, selective, and consistent. Unfortunately, it wasn’t long until ... READ MORE

Category: Agriculture, Crops, Farm Management, HOME LANDSCAPES, Horticulture, Invasive Species, NATURAL RESOURCES, Pests & Disease, Pests & Disease, Turf, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Extension, Water
Tags: Archived, Center For Aquatic And Invasive Plants, Jason Ferrell, Pesticide Information Office, Pesticide Label, Pesticide Resistance, Pesticides

Mosquitos as a Pesticide?

by Dr. Brett Bultemeier
May 6, 2025

A pesticide is described as any substance that is used to kill, repel, or control a “pest”. Mosquitos are a pest that Floridians know very well. Around the world there are around 1,000,000 deaths each year from mosquito borne illness, ... READ MORE

Category: Agriculture, Blog Community, HOME LANDSCAPES, NATURAL RESOURCES, Pests & Disease, Pests & Disease, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Extension
Tags: Aedes Aegypti, Archived, Brett Bultemeier, EPA, Genetically Modified Mosquito, Mosquito, Oxitec, Pesticide, Pesticide Information Office

Spring Cleaning, What To Do With Unwanted Pesticides

by Dr. Brett Bultemeier
April 22, 2025

Spring cleaning, a time to get rid of the old and start with the new! This can be great for closets and garages, but what can we do with unwanted pesticides? This blog will discuss how to avoid having unwanted pesticides in the first place, ... READ MORE

Category: Agribusiness, Agriculture, Farm Management, HOME LANDSCAPES, NATURAL RESOURCES, Pests & Disease, Pests & Disease, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Extension, Water
Tags: Archived, Brett Bultemeier, Operation Cleansweep, Pesticide, Pesticide Disposal, Pesticide Information Office

Not All Who Wander Are Lost

by Dr. Brett Bultemeier
April 8, 2025

“Not All Who Wander Are Lost” My Journey to Pesticide Safety Education That quote “Not all who wander are lost” comes from J.R.R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings (The Fellowship of the Ring, to be precise) and is very fitting ... READ MORE

Category: Academics, Agriculture, Blog Community, Invasive Species, NATURAL RESOURCES, Pests & Disease, Pests & Disease, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Extension
Tags: Archived, Brett Bultemeier, Pesticide Information Office, Pesticide Safety Education

Which Pesticide Certification Do I Need?

by Dr. Brett Bultemeier
April 3, 2025

What on earth is a pesticide certification…do you mean pesticide license? Well, my astute readers, you are correct, we often call them pesticide licenses…but pesticide certification is the better term. It’s what the EPA uses and it’s ... READ MORE

Category: Agriculture, Blog Community, HOME LANDSCAPES, NATURAL RESOURCES, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Extension, UF/IFAS Extension
Tags: Brett Bultemeier, Pesticide Certification, Pesticide Information Office, Pesticide License

Subscribe For More Great Content