Our extension entomologists are active bloggers. Go to our resources page to see a full list of our members blogs, or see below for an aggregated feed of our blogs.
General
- Defoliation, Sanitation, and Mystery Seeds
Howdy, Sprouting Cotton in Wharton CountyPhoto: Ben Crumley We've gotten a good bit of rain here recently, and while it's been good for our pastures, it has put a damper on harvest. There have been a few scattered reports of cotton sprouting scattered around in places that have stayed wet. Defoliation time is approaching, and I've seen a [...] read more4 days ago - Open Bolls
Howdy, Most of our cotton is wrapping up and we're nearing defoliation. There's open bolls scattered around, and the corn and milo is getting harvested. Cutout occurs when cotton is 5 Nodes Above White Flower (NAWF), and at 350 degree days (DD60) past cutout we can stop worrying about plant bugs and bollworms. We can stop worrying about stink bugs at 450 [...] read more1 week ago - Jumping champsIn the Master volunteer classes I teach every year on entomology, I race through so many different kinds of insects that I fear I do all a disservice. One group I always mention in passing are the different kinds of homopterous insects. This group includes the “hopper” families: treehoppers, leafhoppers, planthoppers and froghoppers. These are all plant-sap feeding insects [...] read more1 week ago
- Sorghum Hybrid Trial Results from Victoria County
The Sorghum Hybrid Trial in Victoria County was harvested near Victoria, TX on July 20, 2020. These results should be used along with other similar tests from South Texas to help determine the what to plant next year. [...] read more2 weeks ago - Cracked Bolls
Howdy, Most of our cotton is wrapping up around here, there's open bolls scattered around, and the corn and milo is getting harvested. Cutout occurs when cotton is 5 Nodes Above White Flower (NAWF), and at 350 degree days (DD60) past cutout we can stop worrying about plant bugs and bollworms. We can stop worrying about stink bugs at 450 DD60 past [...] read more2 weeks ago - Beetles Dying?
Rhino Beetle AdultRhino Beetle AdultIf you are wondering why you are finding so many Rhino Beetles dead or dying around your house, you aren't alone. And it isn't unusual!Rhino Beetle GrubRhino Beeltes or Ox Beetles, spend the majority of their life in the larval form, under the soil or in your compost, eating decaying organic matter and turning trash into [...] read more3 weeks ago - Stink Bugs in Soybean Fields
Over the past week we have been finding increased numbers of stink bugs in soybean fields. Most of these stink bugs were green, southern green and red-banded stink bugs. My preferred method to scout for stink bugs is the sweep net, but a good alternative is the drop cloth. As a last resort, you can shake the plants over the [...] read more3 weeks ago - Sorghum Hybrid Trial Results from Refugio County
The Sorghum Hybrid Trial in Refugio County was harvested in Austwell, TX on July 2, 2020. These results should be used along with other similar tests from South Texas to help determine the what to plant next year. [...] read more3 weeks ago - Cracked Bolls
Howdy, Most of our cotton is wrapping up around here, there's open bolls scattered around, and the corn and milo is getting harvested. Cutout occurs when cotton is 5 Nodes Above White Flower (NAWF), and at 350 degree days (DD60) past cutout we can stop worrying about plant bugs and bollworms. We can stop worrying about stink bugs at 450 DD60 past [...] read more3 weeks ago - Cutout and Cracked Bolls
Howdy, There are a lot of fields blooming out the top, and we found our first cracked boll this week. The cotton crop is wrapping up around here. Cutout occurs when cotton is 5 Nodes Above White Flower (NAWF), and at 350 degree days (DD60) past cutout we can stop worrying about plant bugs and bollworms. We can stop worrying [...] read more1 month ago
Mosquitos
- Guyana Farm Visits Day 3: Holy Fruits Batman!
Last Thursday, we visited a few farms in remote locations, referred to as “the bush” by the locals. Completely off the grid; using rain-water as their water supply, no need for electricity or using diesel generators when needed, fruits and vegetables everywhere, and the forest is your toilet. There are lots of mosquitoes in the forest… and monkeys… but let’s [...] read more1 year ago - Guyana Farm Visits – Day 1
Today was the first day of visiting farms as a part of my time here in Guyana for the Farmer-to-Farmer volunteer program. The Journey We drove to region 6, which is far down south along the coast for a total of about 3 hours commute time in each direction. Throughout the whole drive, Guyana felt like just a very large [...] read more1 year ago