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Below you'll find a list of all posts that have been categorized as “Pests”
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 …
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 …
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. …
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 …
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 …
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 …
By Breanna Kendrick Cory Penca, a Ph.D. candidate as well as a student in the Doctor of Plant Medicine program at the University of Florida, recently presented at the Stone Fruit Field Day in Citra, Florida. His presentation covered basic pest management tactics for scales, among many other pests of peaches. Scales are difficult to manage because they have a …
Different species of caterpillars can be detrimental to fruit and vegetable crops in the Southeast. Ayanava Majumdar, Extension entomologist with the Alabama Cooperative Extension Service, says although recent storms in the Southeast have slowed down moth activity, pests are still looming due to the heat. According to Majumdar, armyworms seem to be active. Beet armyworms are usually the first insects …
By Breanna Kendrick Cory Penca, a speaker at the recent Stone Fruit Field Day, covered lots of pests that are potentially devastating to peach growers. Penca is an entomology Ph.D. candidate and a student in the Doctor of Plant Medicine Program at the University of Florida. The last pest he discussed at the event was the two-spotted spider mite. Mites …
Whiteflies vector diseases that can deteriorate crops and drastically reduce yield. Whiteflies have proven to be a major pest in Florida tomatoes and cucurbits. According to Stansly, whiteflies can cause severe problems in tomatoes. “You can have irregular ripening, so even if you’re using a variety that’s resistant to the viruses, you can still run into trouble if the populations …
