Federal collaboration on honey bees highlights research progress on CCD

Posted on May 2, 2013 by rhallberg

Shortly after news of severe bee declines were being reported in 2006, several federal agencies, including USDA Agricultural Research Service (ARS), National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA), Animal Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), Office of Pest Management Policy (OPMP), the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) formed a CCD Steering Committee. The Steering Committee requested feedback from a broad range of experts in apiculture on how best to address the problem. The responses culminated in the CCD Action Plan, outlining the main priorities for research and outreach to characterize CCD and develop ways to mitigate losses.

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Battelle study finds state Extension and Experiment Station services beneficial

Posted on March 29, 2013 by rhallberg

An outside research company, Battelle Technology Partnership Practice and BioDimensions, has released a report detailing the impact of Extension and research programs in the Southern Region. The report, located at the LSU AgCenter website, highlights all of the various facets of Extension and research for agbioscience, including those not directly related to pest management. However, I wanted to highlight key findings in the report with regard to pest management specifically.

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Filed under: Crop rotation, Invasive species, Pesticides, Resistance, Weed Control | Tagged: , , , | Leave a Comment »

Florida A&M Student Wins Regional Award for Her Discovery in Small Hive Beetle Control

Posted on March 20, 2013 by rhallberg

Florida A&M Master’s student Saundra Wheeler will receive a Friends of Southern IPM Graduate Student award on April 8 at the 17th Symposium of the Association of 1890 Research Directors in Jacksonville, FL for her work with small hive beetle control in honeybee colonies.

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Alabama Insect Pest Survey Documents Prevalent Pests and Gives Growers a Heads Up

Posted on March 20, 2013 by rhallberg

When kudzu bug started spreading to Southeastern states, Extension entomologists in Alabama wanted to stay a step ahead of it. So to find out what insects were present in the state, Auburn University Extension Specialist Tim Reed procured funding to support a statewide soybean insect pest sweep net survey.

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Midsouth weed scientists seek a good “model” for managing herbicide-resistant barnyardgrass

Posted on March 14, 2013 by rhallberg

Researchers from Arkansas, Mississippi and Louisiana will use simulation modeling to develop a sustainable plan for rice farmers trying to control herbicide-resistant barnyardgrass.

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Stink Bug Decision Aid Card Measures Up to Big Savings

Posted on February 12, 2013 by rhallberg

If you’ve battled stink bugs in the past, you know that trying to manage them effectively can seem like a guessing game. Treating too early or too late means either wasted insecticides or economic losses from a damaged crop. With those issues in mind, university extension entomologists in the Southeast developed a way to help growers determine if—and when—to treat for stink bugs. In addition, the group that developed the card will receive the Friends of Southern IPM Bright Idea award next month at the Southeastern Branch ESA meeting.

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Filed under: Grants and awards, Insects, Invasive species | Tagged: , , , , | 1 Comment »

New pest in South has a new website

Posted on January 15, 2013 by rhallberg

If you’re a resident of Georgia, or anywhere in the surrounding area, you’ve probably heard or read news in the last couple of years about a new invasive pest that is “bugging” both farmers and homeowners alike. It’s Megacopta cribraria, or the kudzu bug. (more…)

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Six Southern scientists receive funding to solve weed, disease problems

Posted on January 7, 2013 by rhallberg

Six teams of IPM scientists will use funding from the USDA Southern Regional IPM grant program to explore ways to control weeds and diseases while reducing the use of pesticides. From non-chemical weed control to plant disease management, these teams will explore new tools that farmers can use to battle diseases and weeds, while lowering their use of fungicides and herbicides. This year, USDA has awarded approximately $768,000 to support Southern Regional IPM projects.

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Is it a tick? Is it a bed bug? Some resources to help

Posted on December 7, 2012 by rhallberg

Since writing the post on bed bugs and ticks in April, I have noticed that “bed bugs vs ticks” seems to be the top search term every day, and that post has been the top rated one every day since that date. Since many of us will travel over the holidays or have travelers in our homes, I’m going to give you a list of resources that have photos and contact information, so if you wake up one night and find something crawling on the back of your neck, you will be able to know whether you need to go to the doctor the next day, or to start washing everything you have in hot water.

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What’s in a name? A species common name, that is

Posted on October 4, 2012 by rhallberg

When scientists discover a new species–whether it is an insect, pathogen, weed, animal or aquatic species–they give it two names. One is the scientific name that will be used for the rest of the species’ existence to refer to the species, and the other is the “common name,” or the name that you will usually see in media reports. These names can take months, sometimes years or research before scientists formally present them, but while scientists are debating back and forth what the best name is, others will choose a common name just so they have a reference to the species, especially if they are trying to alert the public to be on alert.

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