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
- Fleahoppers and Sugarcane AphidsHowdy,We are still dry this week. All of our crops could use the water, although it may be too late for a lot of the corn. Our older cotton is up to match head and 1/3 grown square, and the sorghum is booting to soft dough. In sorghum we need to be scouting for sugarcane aphid, I've picked it up in sorghum in [...] read more2 days ago
- Cotton Insect ReportCotton plant maturity ranges from 9-14 true leaves. We began seeing blooms in a few fields. The fields with blooms had 6-7 nodes above white flower, which shows the effect of drought stress. The water demand of a crop increases significantly as bloom nears and fruit production begins. If we do not get rainfall soon, expect to see wilting cotton [...] read more2 days ago
- Scouting Clinic Monday, 5/23, 8:30 amA cotton scouting clinic will be held Monday, May 23, at 8:30 am on FM 1679 and Sanders Rd. At this clinic we will discuss the current cotton growing conditions and the insect pests we expect to find and how to scout for them. The post Scouting Clinic Monday, 5/23, 8:30 am appeared first on Mid-Coast IPM. [...] read more2 days ago
- Bean Thrips in SoybeansWe have not been finding many insect pests in Soybean fields so far this season but there are a few things to keep an eye on. Wednesday I found Bean Thrips (Caliothrips phaseoli) in low numbers of less than 1 per leaflet on the leaves of soybean plants. The top 2 pictures show minimal feeding injury along the leaf veins. [...] read more2 days ago
- Squaring Cotton and FleahoppersHowdy,We are still dry this week. All of our crops could use the water, although it may be too late for a lot of the corn. The last two weeks I've seen a lot of corn watered, and some of our growers have started watering cotton. Our older cotton is up to match head and even 1/3 grown square, and the [...] read more1 week ago
- Sorghum Midge and Sugarcane Aphids
(Photo by S. Biles) Grain sorghum across Refugio, Calhoun and Victoria Counties ranges from 4-5 leaf to bloom. The two primary insects of concern this week for grain sorghum in the Mid-Coast of Texas are Sorghum Midge and Sugarcane Aphids. The Sugarcane Aphid can be found in Johnsongrass adjacent to sorghum fields, [...] read more1 week ago - Cotton Squaring SoonHowdy,We've been off to a relatively cool and very windy start, and nearly everywhere still needs rain, but most of our cotton is up, and the earliest planted will probably be squaring as early as next week. The corn and sorghum is looking dry and we are seeing some yellow sugarcane aphids in sorghum, both in low numbers, and most [...] read more2 weeks ago
- Squaring Cotton and DroughtMost cotton fields are squaring so the cotton fleahopper is the primary pest of interest in these fields. I use an economic threshold of 15 cotton fleahoppers per 100 plants. Adults and nymphs count the same. The cotton fleahopper will feed on the soft plant parts in the terminal of the plant. They cause injury when they feed on small [...] read more2 weeks ago
- Insect pest guesses for this strange growing seasonAs we begin this growing season where most of us have not had appreciable rain in over 200 days, it might be useful to review what things look like on the pest insect front. Of course there is no way to know what will happen and I don’t have a crystal ball. Here is what it looks like through the [...] read more3 weeks ago
- Thrips and FleahoppersHowdy,We've been off to a relatively cool and very windy start, and nearly everywhere still needs rain, but most of our cotton is up, and the earliest planted will probably be squaring as early as next week. The corn and milo is looking a little dry and we are seeing some aphids, corn leaf and yellow sugarcane, both in low [...] read more3 weeks ago
Mosquitos
- Bugged by Bugs we want to hear from you.Has this year had you bugged by bugs? Like many of you even those of us who work in entomology, pest control, school maintenance, or live somewhere in Texas you have seen your fair share of insect pests this year. If you have seen more pests around your home and you have treated for those pesky pests, we would [...] read more9 months ago
- ‘Bugs by the Yard’ and ‘Unwanted Guests’ cover Texas insects and pests
Check out the pollinator gardening Bugs by the Year podcast These two bug-based podcasts launched by Texas A&M AgriLife experts allows you to learn on the “fly” by enjoying a podcast on your time schedule. Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service experts have launched two new podcast series: “Bugs [...] read more11 months ago - Mosquito populations booming after rains: Three varieties to worry about, control and repel
Biting mosquitoes like this Aedes variety prefer different breeding sites and are active at different times throughout a day. That familiar buzz and bite are signs that mosquito season in Texas is here, according to a Texas A&M AgriLife entomologist. Sonja Swiger, Ph.D., Texas A&M AgriLife Extension [...] read more12 months ago - Dr. Samuel Vezenegho
Dr. Samuel Vezenegho is has been added as an invaluable member of the SixLegged Aggie Team. He earned his PhD in Medical Entomology and a Master of Science with distinction in Molecular Cell Biology, from the University of Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa. During this time, he focused on the systematics and insecticide resistance mechanisms in African malaria mosquito vectors. Dr. [...] read more1 year ago