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
- 2020 Fall IPM Virtual Conference
Erfan Vafaie and Becky Grubbs Bowling make up the AgriLife Team of Green Aggies, they will share their knowledge with you are our Fall IPM seminar For anyone who needs structural or ag CEU credits in turf and ornamental pest management, 2020 Fall IPM Conference [...] read more4 days ago - Dr. Mike Merchant Retires After 30+ Years with Extension
Dr. Merchant discussing caterpillar control during an IPM class The Department of Entomology and Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service celebrated the retirement of a longtime professor and Extension Entomologist during a virtual celebration held on August 7. Merchant, a Professor and Extension Entomologist in Dallas, will be retiring on August 31. He [...] read more1 week ago - Nootkatone Now Registered by EPA
A new active ingredient, discovered and developed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), has been registered by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for use in insecticides and insect repellents. Products are not yet out on the market but be looking for them in coming months. Studies show that when products are formulated from the new ingredient, nootkatone, [...] read more2 weeks ago - Entomology Advanced Training for Master Gardeners & Master NaturalistsThe regular, week long training has been cancelled for 2020 due to COVID, but we are hosting a four part online Zoom training for you to get your entomology fix!Time for each meeting: 6-7:30pmOctober 6 - Entomology 101 & How to ID Common Insect OrdersOctober 7 - Native Pollinators & Pollinator GardeningOctober 13 - Veggie Pest ManagementOctober 14 - Landscape [...] read more3 weeks ago
- Tighter Regulations Around Bt Corn Are PendingThis week the EPA released a draft plan that essentially overhauls many of the regulations around insect resistance management (IRM) in Bt crops grown in the "cotton belt". There are many major changes proposed, one of which is that field failures are presumed to be cases of "practical resistance" if certain criteria are met. (Like 6% boll damage in third generation [...] read more3 weeks ago
- Swarms of Green Bugs!
Have you noticed some large insect swarming around your trees and around the yard? They may resemble black bumble bees, but they are actually Green June Bugs.Around this time of year, Green June Bugs tend to have mating swarms. Some years there are more than others. Although this is a very common occurrence in September, it isn't unusual for people [...] read more3 weeks ago - Bollworms per acre coming off of corn (or why we had fewer bollworms this year)Dr. Suhas Vyavhare and I are conducting a very detailed experiment this year on some aspects of Bt corn. Part of the experiment involves putting 120 emergence cages on the ground under corn after corn earworm larvae (cotton bollworms) have left the corn ears and entered the soil for pupation. This lets us determine the number of moths being produced [...] read more4 weeks ago
- Mosquitos and Fall Armyworms
Fall ArmywormsPhoto: Stephen BilesHowdy, We've seen fall armyworms moving in a few pastures recently. The threshold for this insect is about 2-3 caterpillars per square foot, fewer if the grass is young. The armyworms tend to be easier to see and are more actively feeding in the early morning or when it's cooler and cloudy out. On hot days check [...] read more4 weeks ago - Calhoun County Corn Hybrid Trials
The Corn Hybrid Trial in Calhoun County was harvested near Port Lavaca, TX on August 19, 2020. These results should be used along with other similar tests from South Texas to help determine the what to plant next year. A second corn hybrid trial was conducted at another location in Port Lavaca. The results of this trial can [...] read more4 weeks ago - Soil Testing Time in South Texas
The Mid-Coast IPM Program is equipped to soil test with a hydraulic soil probe that samples to a depth of 24″. Since 2013, we have sampled fields in Calhoun, Refugio, and Victoria Counties and found soil nitrogen levels ranging between 11 and 168 lbs N per acre. This can be a opportunity to reducing costs without affecting yields. Average fields [...] read more4 weeks ago
Mosquitos
- 2020 Fall IPM Virtual ConferenceErfan Vafaie and Becky Grubbs Bowling make up the AgriLife Team of Green Aggies, they will share their knowledge with you are our Fall IPM seminar For anyone who needs structural or ag CEU credits in turf and ornamental pest management, 2020 Fall IPM Conference [...] read more4 days ago
- Dr. Mike Merchant Retires After 30+ Years with ExtensionDr. Merchant discussing caterpillar control during an IPM class The Department of Entomology and Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service celebrated the retirement of a longtime professor and Extension Entomologist during a virtual celebration held on August 7. Merchant, a Professor and Extension Entomologist in Dallas, will be retiring on August 31. He [...] read more1 week ago
- 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