EDIS Update

Cypress looper Anacamptodes pergracilis (Hulst) (Insecta: Lepidoptera: Geometridae) (EENY303/IN986)

dihagan — Wed, 22 May 2013 18:05:31 +0000

Anacamptodes pergracilis (Hulst), commonly known as the cypress looper, drew considerable attention in late summer of 1980 with the unexpected defoliation of nearly 28,000 ha of cypress trees in USFS-NPS Big Cypress National Preserve (Collier and Monroe counties). Currently, cypress looper populations are at low levels, even in the Fisheating Creek (Glades County) area, a perennial generator of significant cypress looper defoliation over the past 20 years. This 3-page fact sheet was written by Wayne N. Dixon, and published by the UF Department of Entomology and Nematology, April 2013.
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/in986

Growing Potatoes in the Florida Home Garden (HS993/HS183)

dihagan — Wed, 22 May 2013 17:41:18 +0000

The Irish potato is a cool-season crop. A recently grown and harvested potato exhibits different flavor profiles from one that has been in storage or on a grocery shelf for an extended period. For example, in storage, the starches in potatoes convert to sugars, resulting in a less desirable texture and taste. “New” potato flavor can be achieved in the home garden by following a few growing recommendations. This 9-page fact sheet was written by Christian T. Christensen, Libby R. Rens, Jeffrey E. Pack, Lincoln Zotarelli, Chad Hutchinson, Wendy Dahl, Doug Gergela, and James M. White, and published by the UF Department of Horticultural Sciences, April 2013.
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/hs183

Promoting Healthy Relationship Development in Teens, Part II: Three Key Qualities to Foster Better Relationships (FCS2326/FY1364)

dihagan — Wed, 22 May 2013 14:27:05 +0000

Getting married and staying married require a complicated calculus of factors that must come together to produce healthy and satisfying relationships. While couple interactional processes tend to be the most predictive of whether or not they will stay together and find happiness, background and contextual factors and individual traits also factor heavily into the equation. Finding two socks that match (and don’t wear out) is much more likely to occur when the relationship is based upon a deep and enduring friendship. Asking the question, “Will this choice enhance or diminish my marital friendship?” and then choosing to make the choices that will enhance the marital friendship more often than not are healthy strategies for success. This 5-page fact sheet was written by Victor W. Harris, Gilon Marts, and Muthusami Kumaran, and published by the UF Department of Family Youth and Community Sciences, March 2013.
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/fy1364

Water Quality and the Effectiveness of Pesticides (PI245)

dihagan — Tue, 21 May 2013 14:46:23 +0000

Pesticide applicators do not usually blame the mix for a pest control failure. Rather, the applicator will check if the correct pesticide was chosen for the job, if the pest was misidentified, if application equipment was properly calibrated, or if there was pesticide resistance. However, pesticide applicators should be aware that water quality can play a role in the efficacy of a pesticide treatment. Some pesticides lose their effectiveness when mixed with water that contains suspended or dissolved solids. This publication discusses how water quality affects pesticide mixes. This 2-page fact sheet was written by F. M. Fishel, and published by the UF Department of Agronomy, April 2013.
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/pi245

UF is celebrating Bug Week

dihagan — Mon, 20 May 2013 19:55:15 +0000

We at University of Florida want to provide you with a beginner-friendly yet science-based look at Florida’s bugs, with emphasis on the species that Florida residents and visitors often encounter. Some are Good Bugs. Some are Bad Bugs. And a whole lot are Bugly Bugs. Follow #UFBugs on Twitter, or vist the website at
http://bugs.ufl.edu

Biting midges, no-see-ums Culicoides spp. (Insecta: Diptera: Ceratopogonidae) (EENY349/IN626)

dihagan — Mon, 20 May 2013 19:50:38 +0000

Biting midges can be a nuisance to campers, fishermen, hunters, hikers, gardeners, and others who spend time outdoors during early morning and evenings, and even during the daytime on cloudy days when winds are calm. They will readily bite humans; the bites are irritating, painful, and can cause long-lasting painful lesions for some people. A common observation upon experiencing a bite from this insect is that something is biting, but the person suffering can not see what it is. This 4-page fact sheet was written by C. Roxanne Connelly, and published by the UF Department of Entomology and Nematology, April 2013.
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/in626

Cattle Grub Management (ENY290/IN979)

dihagan — Mon, 20 May 2013 15:09:01 +0000

Immature warble flies, or cattle grubs, infest and harm livestock throughout the world. Warble flies also are known as “heel flies” because they cause cattle to kick at themselves, and “gad flies” because they cause cattle to “gad about” in an attempt to evade the flies. Two species of cattle grubs occur in the U.S.A., the common cattle grub, and the northern cattle grub. This 6-page fact sheet was written by P. E. Kaufman and E. N. I. Weeks, and published by the UF Department of Entomology and Nematology, March 2013.
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/in979

Cornsilk Fly (suggested common name), Euxesta stigmatias Loew (Insecta: Diptera: Otitidae) (EENY224/IN381)

dihagan — Mon, 20 May 2013 13:27:48 +0000

‘Cornsilk flies’ are attractive, medium to dark metallic green to black colored flies with distinctive wing patterns and wing flapping behavior. They are commonly found throughout Florida’s agricultural communities. Their normally saprophytic life style belies their destructive nature when it comes to their preference for sweet corn ears. Four species of ‘cornsilk flies’ are known to attack corn in Florida: Chaetopsis massyla (Walker), Euxesta annonae (Fabricius), Euxesta eluta Loew, and Euxesta stigmatias Loew. This 8-page fact sheet was written by Gregg S. Nuessly and John L. Capinera, and published by the UF Department of Entomology and Nematology, April 2013. #UFBugs
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/in381

Reusable Learning Objects: Tools for Teaching in Nonformal Education (WC140)

dihagan — Fri, 17 May 2013 18:17:38 +0000

Reusable learning objects are short, self-contained, digital learning activities that can be valuable tools for sharing information. This 4-page fact sheet provides a brief synopsis of what reusable learning objects are and how to create an them for use in an educational setting. Written by Jessica L. Gouldthorpe, Amy Harder, T. Grady Roberts, and Nicole Stedman, and published by the UF Department of Agricultural Education and Communication, April 2013.
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/wc140

Pest Management Perceptions and Practices for Equine Farms in North and Central Florida (ENY2028/IN983)

dihagan — Thu, 16 May 2013 17:03:08 +0000

Equine facilities have unique pest management problems due to facility structure and horse husbandry practices. In Florida, homes on small equine farms are generally located in close proximity to pastures, stalls or run-in sheds, manure piles, and other fly breeding habitats. So homeowners have a high risk of exposure to pathogens that can be transmitted by filth flies to humans. Integrated pest management for equine farms requires accurate diagnosis of pest problems and the coordinated use of science-based management practices, but a recent survey shows that many equine property owners don’t know enough about the identification, biology, and presence of filth fly pests on their properties to develop successful IPM programs. This 7-page fact sheet was written by Erika T. Machtinger, Norman C. Leppla, and Cindy Saunders, and published by the UF Department of Entomology and Nematology, March 2013.
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/in983

The mexican lac scale Tachardiella mexicana (Comstock) (Hemiptera: Kerriidae) (EENY552/IN990)

dihagan — Thu, 16 May 2013 15:27:14 +0000

The Mexican lac scale is native to Mexico and Texas, but populations have been established in Florida. Adult female scales produce a high-domed ‘test’ or shell with four to six lobe-like projections that anchor the test to the plant surface. The test is hard and glossy with a reddish-orange tint around the edges, and darker toward the center. In some specimens, white string-like wax fiber extrusions project from the dorsum of the test, but these may break off. This 3-page fact sheet was written by Ian Stocks, and published by the UF Department of Entomology and Nematology, April 2013.
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/in990

El sobrepeso y el mantenimiento de la perdida de peso (FSHN1304S/FS228)

dihagan — Thu, 16 May 2013 14:30:19 +0000

Para muchas personas, la pérdida de peso es una batalla crónica. Las dietas populares a menudo son poco exitosas porque no se pueden seguir de forma permanente. No hay una dieta mágica que le pueda hacer bajar de peso inmediatamente, pero a continuación se enumeran algunos buenos consejos para la pérdida de peso de una manera estable y de largo plazo. This 3-page fact sheet was written by Anne Mathews, Lauren Foster, and Wendy Dahl, and published by the UF Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition, April 2013.
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/fs228

Nursery Irrigation System Checklist (ENH1208/EP469)

dihagan — Wed, 15 May 2013 20:07:19 +0000

Irrigation must be intensively managed to achieve optimal production times for plants of superior quality. There must be a balance between excessive and inadequate irrigation. Producers use irrigation control devices and past experience to achieve the balance. A few simple checks before and during irrigation can make a big difference in efficient and uniform delivery of the appropriate amount of water. This 4-page fact sheet was written by Tom Yeager, and published by the UF Department of Environmental Horticulture, April 2013.
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ep469

Developmental Coordination Disorder (FAR1816/FM1076)

dihagan — Wed, 15 May 2013 19:59:25 +0000

In any classroom, you’ll find a wide range of physical skills. Some children are amazing artists but just average at kickball. Others excel at sports but struggle with handwriting. But a few children seem to have a hard time with most physical tasks. They may be affected by developmental coordination disorder, or DCD, a neurodevelopmental condition that causes difficulties with physical coordination. This 2-page Family Album Radio transcript was written by Carol Church, and published by the UF Department of Family Youth and Community Sciences, April 2013.
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/fm1076

Nematode Management in Residential Lawns (ENY006/NG039)

dihagan — Wed, 15 May 2013 18:08:21 +0000

Plant-parasitic nematodes are among the least understood and most difficult pests to manage on turfgrass in Florida. They are very small, and most can only be seen with the aid of a microscope. They use a stylet to puncture plant cells, to inject digestive juices into them, and to ingest plant fluids. The most reliable way to determine whether plant-parasitic nematodes are involved in a turf problem is to have a nematode assay conducted by a professional nematode diagnostic lab. This 6-page fact sheet was written by William T. Crow, and published by the UF Department of Entomology and Nematology, April 2013.
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ng039

Mealybug Vryburgia trionymoides (DeLotto) (Pseudococcidae) (EENY553/IN991)

dihagan — Wed, 15 May 2013 16:39:31 +0000

On several occasions in 2011, succulents for sale at retail stores in Florida were found with infestations of the mealybug Vryburgia trionymoides DeLotto. A traceback revealed that the succulents originated in California, where this mealybug is known as an occasional greenhouse pest. Specimens intercepted or found in retail stores often were well-hidden in the axillary region near the stem, making detection more challenging. An untreated infestation can kill a plant, there are no published reports of economic losses caused by this species. This 2-page fact sheet was written by Ian Stocks, and published by the UF Department of Entomology and Nematology, April 2013.
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/in991

Tuttle mealybug Brevennia rehi (Pseudococcidae) (EENY551/IN989)

dihagan — Mon, 13 May 2013 20:31:21 +0000

The Tuttle mealybug, Brevennia rehi (Lindinger), is a pest of many grass species and occurs nearly worldwide, especially where rice and sugarcane are grown. Because Bermuda and zoysia are important lawn grasses, especially in the southern United States, infestation by Tuttle mealybug should be considered whenever dieback is noticed, especially if the grass blades show white wax or are sticky from honeydew secretion. Both Bermuda and zoysia lawns are commonly installed as sod or plugs, which provide a ready route for the spread of infestations should the pest control practices of the grower fail to maintain a pest-free production environment. This 3-page fact sheet was written by Ian Stocks, and published by the UF Department of Entomology and Nematology, April 2013.
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/in989

Valuing the Ecosystem Services of Florida‹s Forest Conservation Programs: The Economic Benefits of Protecting Water Quality (FOR309/FR377)

dihagan — Mon, 13 May 2013 12:53:32 +0000

How much are Floridians willing to pay for water quality protection programs that include forest conservation? This 9-page fact sheet reports the results of a study to answer this question, using a benefit transfer approach. Written by Melissa M. Kreye, Francisco J. Escobedo, Damian C. Adams, Taylor Stein, and Tatiana Borisova, and published by the UF Department of School of Forest Resources and Conservation, April 2013.
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/fr377

Common Woody Plants of Florida Scrub Ecosystems (FOR305/FR373)

dihagan — Fri, 10 May 2013 18:11:28 +0000

The purpose of this fact sheet is to help identify a few of the more common woody plant species found in Florida’s scrub ecosystems. In the individual plant descriptions, words that appear in bold font are considered to be key field characteristics that will aid in identification of the species. This 14-page fact sheet was written by Lynn Proenza and Michael Andreu, and published by the UF Department of School of Forest Resources and Conservation, October 2012.
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/fr373

De compras para la salud: Vegetales (FSHN1305/FS227)

dihagan — Fri, 10 May 2013 18:06:47 +0000

Escoger los vegetales correctos le ayudará a obtener los nutrientes que su cuerpo necesita cada día. Con tantas opciones, ir a comprar vegetales puede parecer una tarea difícil, pero no lo tiene que ser. Este artículo le ayudará a volverse un comprador inteligente de vegetales. This 3-page fact sheet was written by Ashley R. Kendall y Wendy Dahl, and published by the UF Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition, April 2013.
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/fs227