Posted on February 22, 2018 by rhallberg
From NC State News
New research findings could turn perceptions of the already despised bed bug from nuisance pest into medically important threat. A study from North Carolina State University shows that histamine levels are substantially higher in homes infested by bed bugs than in pest-free homes, and that these histamine levels persist for months – even if the bed bugs have been eliminated from the home.
NC State post-doctoral researcher Zachary DeVries and colleagues from NC State and the N.C. Dept. of Health and Human Services conducted a Raleigh-based study to compare histamine levels in homes with and without bed bug infestation. The researchers also evaluated the extent to which treatment and time affect those histamine levels. Continue reading →
Filed under: news | Tagged: bed bugs, histamines, insect pests, NC State, public health, Zachary DeVries | Leave a comment »
Posted on February 16, 2018 by rhallberg
By Julie Jernigan, University of Georgia
Once a top agricultural commodity in Georgia, the Southern pea’s presence in the state is now minimal. Growers are reluctant to plant the crop due to a tiny weevil, the cowpea curculio.
The cowpea curculio is a small, dark weevil that originated in Mexico. It feeds and lays eggs in the pods of Southern peas, making the peas unmarketable. The current management tactic involves spraying regularly with old and new insecticides, but the weevil has such high resistance that this technique has little impact. Continue reading →
Filed under: news | Tagged: cowpea, cowpea curculio, cowpea weevil, David Riley, GMO, insect pests, snap beans | Leave a comment »
Posted on January 3, 2018 by rhallberg
by Adam Russell, Texas A&M AgriLife
A common wintertime pest in cattle herds – lice – can suck money from producers’ pockets, said Dr. Jason Banta, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service beef cattle specialist, Overton.
Banta said lice can infest cattle throughout the year, but more problems are seen from December to March. Continue reading →
Filed under: news | Tagged: cattle pests, human health, insect pests, lice | Leave a comment »
Posted on March 28, 2017 by rhallberg
IPM Coordinators in the Southern Region updated a list of the major insect pest, disease and weed issues that researchers and extension specialists should try to address in the coming year. During their annual meeting on March 15 at the Southeastern Branch Entomological Society of America meeting, IPM Coordinators reviewed the current Southern Region priorities while sharing some of the challenges in their state.
The coordinators belong to a regional committee called the Southern Extension and Research Activities (SERA) 003. Each major region of the country—south, northeast, north central and west—has a similar regional committee. Continue reading →
Filed under: featured | Tagged: insect pests, plant disease, priorities, research priorities, SERA-003, southern priority list, weed control | Leave a comment »
Posted on March 15, 2017 by rhallberg
by Adam Russell, Texas A&M AgriLife
The second year of survey data tracking crape myrtle bark scale has provided researchers information they believe will help mitigate the pest’s effect on trees, said a Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service expert.
Erfan Vafaie, a AgriLife Extension entomologist and integrated pest management program specialist in Overton, and other collaborators in College Station, Huntsville and Dallas, have monitored pest numbers the past two years to help determine crape myrtle bark scale’s seasonal life cycle and peak crawler activity. The data collected has helped researchers develop strategies against them. Continue reading →
Filed under: news | Tagged: bark scale, crape myrtle, crape myrtle bark scale, Erfan Vafaie, insect pests | Leave a comment »
Posted on June 29, 2016 by rhallberg
In Southeast Farm Press
by Maggie Lawrence, Alabama Cooperative Extension System
Fall armyworms were found in millet in early June in western Mobile County, Ala. Armyworm caterpillars are detrimental to cattlemen and forage producers. The damage can seem to appear overnight.
Dr. Kathy Flanders, an Alabama Cooperative Extension System entomologist, said a fall armyworm caterpillar eats the most within its last feeding stage. Continue reading →
Filed under: news | Tagged: Alabama Cooperative Extension, armyworms, insect pests | Leave a comment »
Posted on June 16, 2016 by rhallberg
by Paul Schattenberg, Texas A&M AgriLife
Dr. Mike Merchant, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service urban entomologist based in Dallas, said “there’s a new bug in town” — and it could cause serious harm to some of the state’s most extensively used landscaping trees.
“Ash trees are used extensively around the state in landscaping for homes, businesses, in parks and along highways and streets,” Merchant said. “And the emerald ash borer, an insect that can potentially cause great harm to ash trees, is typically found in more northern states. However, this insect has recently been found here in Texas.” Continue reading →
Filed under: news | Tagged: EAB, emerald ash borer, insect pests, invasive species, Texas AgriLife | Leave a comment »
