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
Howdy,We got a lot of rain this past week, between 4 and 14 inches across the three counties. Most of the cotton is looking pretty good, but there are locations it looks rough if water stood on it. The places that drained quickly look good. The field in the photo below had damage on the edge of one of the [...] read more4 days ago - Early Season Pests and FleahoppersHowdy, Most of our replanted cotton is up and looking good now, and we got a good bit of rain last night but most of my fields were looking good, if dry and a bit wind burnt this week. Hopefully most of the dry places have gotten rain or will in the next day or so.Cotyledon CottonKate CrumleyCotton stands can [...] read more2 weeks ago
- Scouting Tactics in Early Season Cotton
A field meeting will be held Monday to discuss field scouting techniques, economic thresholds and plant growth regulators in squaring cotton. Date: Monday, May 3 Time: 9 am Location: Near Port Lavaca at the Intersection of FM 1679 and Sanders Rd. 28.609097, -96.721086 Topics: Crop development, cotton fleahopper management, and plant growth regulators will be discussed. CROP TOUR DATES [...] read more2 weeks ago - Early Season Cotton Maturity
I’ve been asked by a few growers “Why is my cotton growing so slowly?”
From https://www.cotton.org/tech/ace/growth-and-development.cfm The answer is primarily cold temperatures. The table below shows how many days are usually required to get from one stage to another. Notice emergence usually takes 27 to 38 days. The difference between these [...] read more2 weeks ago - Early Season PestsHowdy, We had some replant this week, but most of my fields are looking good, if dry. Everything could use a rain, the amount has been varied across our area. Hopefully everyone will get the rain they need in the next couple of days.Cotyledon CottonKate Crumley Cotton stands can be impacted by some of the weather we've had recently, but [...] read more3 weeks ago
- Early Season PestsHowdy, We have a bit of replant going on in our area, but most of my fields are looking good. Everything could use a rain, the amount has been varied across our area. Hopefully this weekend everyone will get the rain they need.Cotyledon CottonKate Crumley Cotton stands can be impacted by some of the weather we've had recently, but stands [...] read more4 weeks ago
- South Texas audio updatesWe have been recording pest updates in effort to provide a brief audio version of South Texas newsletters and blog posts. The reports include crop production and pest management updated from South Texas, including the Rio Grande Valley, Coastal Bend and Mid-Coast. You can get these by following this link: https://www.texasinsects.org/south-texas.html The latest edition is: 4/16/2021 (audio file) Fall armyworm and [...] read more4 weeks ago
- Fall Armyworms in Sorghum
Fall armyworms are being found in sorghum fields across the area this week. While the feeding can be alarming, I have yet to find a field in need of treatment. Insecticide application may be justified if larval feeding reduces leaf area by more than 30 percent or is damaging the developing grain head or growing point within the whorl. The [...] read more4 weeks ago - Early Season Pests and Forest Tent Caterpillars
Checking Cotyledon CottonKate CrumleyHowdy, We've been off to a chilly and windy start, and nearly everywhere needs rain, but most of our cotton is in the ground now, and soybeans are currently being planted. The corn and milo is looking a little dry, but good otherwise. I have been looking for sugarcane aphids a bit in some of the johnson [...] read more1 month ago - Worms in Trees this Spring
Every so often, we see larger population outbreaks of certain insects, for seemingly no real explainable reason. This year is one of those years with either cankerworms or oak leaf rollers. I'm seeing both species around the San Antonio area, but there's really not need to panic!Spring Cankerworm in dark color formPhoto Credit - Mike Merchant, Texas A&M AgriLife ExtensionCankerworms, [...] read more1 month ago
Mosquitos
- 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 more3 months ago - 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 more8 months 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 more8 months ago