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Below you'll find a list of all posts that have been categorized as “Pests”
by Robin Koestoyo, UF/IFAS koestoyo@ufl.edu Garima Kakkar is joining the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) to help the state fight invasive pests. Kakkar, an expert in invasive insects, is a multi-county Extension agent based in St. Lucie County. Kakkar has a diverse range of experience in managing pest insects, and will now serve growers in the …
Improved training and minimum age requirements will help protect people and the environment. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is finalizing standards for applicators who apply restricted-use pesticides that are not available for purchase by the general public, and require special handling. “We are committed to keeping our communities safe, protecting our environment and protecting workers and their families,” said …
Citrus Research and Development Foundation (CRDF) Chief Operations Officer Harold Browning provides an update on a major five-year HLB project that CRDF is managing. “It’s (NuPsyllid) a project that started in 2012, involving a team of scientists from all over the country … And the goal is to build and release into the field the psyllid that has less capacity …
University of Florida entomologist Phil Stansly discusses the use of dormant sprays for HLB-spreading psyllids. He also addresses the fact that psyllid populations are often higher on grove perimeters — the so-called “edge effect.” Stansly says the next coordinated grower spray for psyllids in the Gulf citrus-growing region will be a dormant spray. “The trees are dormant now and that’s …
Gardinier Florida Citrus General Manager Lee Jones, one of several attending a Gulf Citrus Health Management Area Workshop on November 15 in Immokalee, wanted to share a message with fellow growers. The message: Don’t reduce efforts to control HLB-spreading Asian citrus psyllids. “Everybody’s groves this year are looking a little better,” Jones told Citrus Industry magazine immediately after the seminar. …
The citrus black spot (CBS) that emerged in Florida in 2010 apparently remains confined to Collier and Hendry counties, except for a single find in Polk County in 2013. “There’s a quarantine within those two counties (Collier and Hendry),” University of Florida researcher Jeff Rollins said in a Citrus Expo presentation. “The quarantine extends a little bit into Lee County, …
Citrus grower Paul Fabry discusses grove practices that led to a huge increase in production in a newly acquired Basinger grove in just a few seasons. The grove has approximately 750 net acres. “Two years ago when we first got the grove, it was in a shape that needed some renovation and I was advised by several prominent industry leaders …
Citrus growers sometimes ask University of Florida entomologist Phil Stansly why they should continue to spray for HLB-spreading psyllids when trees are already infected with the disease. Stansly answered that question at Citrus Expo in August. “There are two issues with HLB,” Stansly says in this interview with Tacy Callies summarizing his Expo presentation. “One is incidence. In other words, …
Research on HLB-tolerant trees and better citrus varieties is being conducted in Gainesville, outside the Florida citrus belt. University of Florida scientist Jose Chaparro discusses the work. “In Gainesville we have essentially the youngest citrus breeding program in Florida,” Chaparro says. “In the future, we hope to be able to provide both HLB and canker resistance in our selections.” Such …
A Citrus Research and Development Foundation (CRDF) Research Management Committee meeting was called on June 29, 2016, to discuss post-bloom fruit drop (PFD) caused by Colletotricum spp. in Florida. In this meeting, it was suggested that there is an opportunity to retrospectively investigate PFD management strategies from 2016 to determine if grower treatment programs led to variable results. A survey …
Tom Stopyra, technical crop advisor for The Packers of Indian River, shares experiences with HLB and offers opinions on numerous other topics he addressed at a recent seminar in Immokalee. Regarding the record high populations of HLB-spreading psyllids throughout Florida’s citrus belt this year, Stopyra says: “We’ve never seen populations like we have this year, even though we’ve been spraying …
Populations of HLB-spreading Asian citrus psyllids have been at record levels since April, University of Florida Citrus Health Management Area (CHMA) Program Coordinator Brandon Page told growers at a recent seminar in Immokalee. Page thinks abandoned groves that aren’t sprayed and therefore harbor psyllids are part of the reason for the recent population increase. “I think we’re also seeing money …
Tom Stopyra, technical crop advisor for the Packers of Indian River, told more than 75 growers at an Immokalee seminar last week how his company gets excellent canker management utilizing a four-pronged program: “You have to control the leafminer. You have to have frequent copper sprays at a lower rate. You have to have windbreaks and sanitation, which is the …
University of Florida professor Larry Duncan presented the latest research on using entomopathogenic nematodes (EPNs) to control Diaprepes root weevil (DRW) in citrus to approximately 30 growers on June 30 at the Hardee County Extension Service office in Wauchula. The combination of HLB with DRW intrusion has created a situation that will accelerate the destruction of most infected trees. DRW …
Florida Citrus Mutual CEO Mike Sparks discusses the association’s annual conference this week, including the election of a new association president, the U.S. presidential race from a tariff perspective, and postbloom fruit drop (PFD). During the conference, Mutual’s trade attorney reported on presidential candidates’ views regarding tariffs, which can impact citrus trade. Sparks comments on that report: “When you hear …
John D. Renshaw, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) sterile insect technology director, says that the USDA Sterile Insect Release Facility is one of the department’s best-kept secrets. And since there are only 50 similar facilities worldwide, many might agree with him. The sterile insect program in Sarasota, Florida, has been sterilizing male Mediterranean fruit flies (medflies) from its facility on …
Postbloom fruit drop (PFD), along with the use of bactericides to control HLB, were the big issues for more than 40 participants in a grower roundtable Wednesday in Wauchula. LeAnna Himrod, one of the roundtable hosts, summarizes the issues addressed. Regarding bactericides, she reports: “There were a lot of questions about the bactericides regarding timing: What’s the best time of …
