By Breanna Kendrick Black aphids are small black insects that feed on the leaves of pecan trees. The area where black aphids are feeding will turn yellow and become necrotic, killing the tissues surrounding the feeding area. Black aphids are most common later in the pecan season. Black aphids do have some populations early in the season, but are less of …
Varroa Mite Control Efforts Continue
By Breanna Kendrick Varroa mites have been in the United States since 1987, but there’s still not a good solution for controlling them. These mites impact honeybee colonies by feeding on the bees and vectoring viruses. The mites pass viruses around the colonies and make the bees very sick. Varroa control is tricky because the goal is to kill an …
GMOs vs. Cowpea Curculios
By Breanna Kendrick A big issue growers in the Southeast are facing is a weevil called cowpea curculio. This New World insect is very harsh on Old World peas, such as cowpeas. Insects are typically controlled with an insecticide, but this particular weevil has become resistant to many insecticides and can devastate a crop. Cowpea curculio is so hard on …
Slugs and Snails May Cause a Sticky Situation
Alabama vegetable growers have been dealing with pests that cannot be controlled by insecticides: slugs and snails. According to Ayanava Majumdar, Extension entomologist with Auburn University, increased rainfall over the past year has created this unusual problem of snail and slug infestation. These pests favor wet conditions. Moist soil is the perfect environment for snails and slugs. They also prefer …
Managing Caribbean Fruit Fly on Peaches
By Breanna Kendrick Cory Penca, an entomology Ph.D. candidate and a student in the Doctor of Plant Medicine program at the University of Florida, gave a presentation at the recent Stone Fruit Field Day on managing key pests of peaches in Florida. One of the many pests he discussed was the Caribbean fruit fly. Caribbean fruit fly is specifically a …
Research Team Targets Whiteflies
By Breanna Kendrick and Abbey Taylor The University of Georgia whitefly team is made up of research and Extension entomologists, plant pathologists and horticulture specialists. All of these professionals are involved in whitefly research across commodities such as peanuts, soybeans and vegetables. The team is doing research and education on whiteflies and the diseases that they vector. “It’s really just …
Spotted Wing Drosophila Spells Trouble for Grape Growers
By Breanna Kendrick Spotted wing drosophila (SWD) are small fruit flies that resemble the flies commonly seen indoors buzzing around rotting fruit. Adult male SWD have a little spot on each of their wings, making them easy to identify. Females are more difficult to identify. At the rear of the female SWD abdomen is an egg-laying structure called an ovipositor. …
Cowpea Curculio Wreaking Havoc in the Southeast
By Breanna Kendrick One of the toughest insect problems to deal with in the Southeast is cowpea curculio. It has been very difficult to control because it becomes resistant to insecticides. Cowpea curculio is a weevil that can be very destructive to the crops it attacks. This pest is just as destructive to southern peas as the boll weevil is …
Macro Bug Management
Though stink bugs and leaffooted bugs may be the easiest pests to scout due to their large size, they are also some of the most difficult to control. These large insects, also known as macro bugs, live in urban and rural areas and are highly migratory. Ayanava Majumdar, Extension entomologist with Auburn University, says these insects can cause massive destruction …
Learn New Tools for Nematode Management
Nematodes are a key pest in vegetables and strawberries. Johan Desaeger, an assistant professor of nematology at the University of Florida’s Gulf Coast Research and Education Center, has spent years studying nematodes and how to manage them. He will be giving a presentation at the upcoming Vegetables and Specialty Crops Expo. According to Desaeger, historically, most growers used methyl bromide …