by Sheila Dunning | Dec 7, 2016
Christmas is coming. So much to do. Picking out the perfect, fresh-cut tree is one of the important 
tasks. Every family member has their specific requirement. “It has to be a certain species.” It has to be a specific height and shape.” And, of course, “It has to smell great.” So, a decision is made. The perfect tree is toted home, put up and beautifully decorated. A week later, mom shrieks, “There’s ticks all over the living room!” Don’t panic. Upon inspection, you will discover that the bugs coming from your “perfect” Christmas tree are Cinara aphids.
Cinara are a group of several species of large brown or black aphids that feed on conifers including
all pines, spruces and firs. When the Christmas trees are cut at the farm and bundled for shipment, the aphids get trapped. With warmer temperatures indoors, the aphids become active. Infestations may also arise from overwintering eggs that hatch. As the tree dries out, the aphids crawl from the tree into the rest of the house.
No worries. Cinara aphids only feed on conifers, so they pose no threat to other plants. They are not a danger to people or pets either. But don’t get rid of them by smashing them. You may be left with a nasty purple stain to have to clean up. Instead, pull out the vacuum and suck them up.
So, if you are one of those people still shopping for the “perfect” tree, add a preemptive strike to your decorating procedure. Unbundle and shake, shake, shake that tree outside before bringing it in. Then the only shrieking going on will be when mom opens the fabulous present you gave her.
by Larry Williams | Oct 26, 2016
Saddleback Caterpillar – Image Credit Matthew Orwat
The reality of what happens deep down in the darkness of a fire ant mound hidden to human eyes or in the tunnels of a mole cricket where only creepy crawly things dare to enter may be too scary to believe.
University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences along with USDA introduced a tiny South American fly to the U.S. to help control the pesky imported fire ant. Literally, these introduced phorid flies cause the imported fire ants’ heads to fall off. They then use the decapitated heads to reproduce. The flies hover above the ants, dive in, latch on to the ant’s body and inject their eggs. The egg hatches, and a maggot wiggles its way into the ant’s head, where it grows for two to three weeks before secreting a chemical that dissolves the membranes holding the ant’s body together. In a few hours the ant’s head falls off. The maggot eats everything in it and then uses it as a pupae case. Gruesome, isn’t it?
Assassin bugs are frequently seen slowly crawling on shrubs in our landscapes. Most are brown to black but many are brightly colored. A common species is reddish-orange in the nymph stage. Assassin bugs feed on many harmful insects. Caterpillars are their favorite food.
They digest their prey before eating it. They do this by piercing their victim with their sharp beak, injecting digestive enzymes. This causes chaos on the unfortunate insect’s nervous system and liquefies the internal organs. The liquefied contents are then consumed, leaving only the shell of its kill. How tragic.
The larra wasp, an introduced predatory insect by University of Florida entomologists, enters a mole cricket tunnel. The female wasp will pounce on the mole cricket, wrestle with it and sting it on its soft underside. This immobilizes the mole cricket long enough to allow the wasp to deposit a single egg on its underside. The mole cricket recovers and burrows back into the ground. The wasp larva eventually hatches and slowly eats the mole cricket alive. Poor mole cricket.
We mere mortals should be aware of these horrifying happenings occurring in our own backyards. And we should be frightened by those people who attempt to kill every six-legged critter in sight because they have wrongly identified them as bad. In reality, less than one percent of all insects that exist are damaging to our plants. Most are of no consequence to our lawns, landscapes or gardens. And many are beneficial.
These beneficial insects are helping us gardeners battle the bad bugs during Halloween and year round.
by Matt Lollar | Sep 29, 2016
Tropical sod webworms (Herpetogramma phaeopteralis) have recently been encountered in a number of yards in the Panhandle. The worms usually feed in large groups and unfortunately, the first, and basically the only, sign of damage is often a large area of shorter grass due to their feeding. The arrival time of sod webworms is also unfortunate because they are part of a group of caterpillars that successively attack turf including fall armyworm (Spodoptera frugiperda), striped grass loopers (Mocisspp.), and the fiery skipper (Hylephila phyleus).
Sod webworm feeding damage in the turf thatch layer. Photo Credit: University of Florida/IFAS Extension.
Description
Larvae
Caterpillars are light yellow to orange with brown spots on each body segment and they have a dark, orange-brown head. They will grow to a full length of slight less than 1/2 inch.
Pupae
The reddish brown pupae are about about 1/4 inch long. The pupae are typically found in the upper thatch layer.
Pupa found in cocoon in St. Augustinegrass thatch. Photo Credit: Steven Arthurs, University of Florida/IFAS
Adults
The moths brown with splotchy wings and are about 3/4 inch wide.
Control
Sod webworms are difficult to control because of their spontaneity. However, in the lawn they hide in the thatch during the heat of the day. Over watering and fertilization can increase the amount of thatch. It is important to follow UF/IFAS guidelines for home lawn management.
The first line of defence is healthy turf. Proper fertilization, irrigation, and mowing height can decrease susceptibility of turfgrass against sod webworm. Over-fertilization is a common cause of caterpillar outbreaks in lawns. Cultural practices such as thatch removal by vertical mowing can help eliminate populations. Eggs are laid on grass blades and removal of grass clippings might also reduce populations.
Numerous chemical control options are available, but softer chemicals such as insecticides containing the bacteria Bacillus thuringiensis are recommended as a first line of defense. Insecticides should be applied in the morning or evening during feeding time. For additional control strategies and basic information please visit the UF/IFAS Sod Webworm Publication.
by Matt Lollar | Sep 8, 2016
Plants can become distorted for a wide variety of reasons. Sometimes nutrient deficiencies or toxicities can cause plants to become distorted. Sometimes excessive amounts of water or sunlight can cause plants to become distorted. And sometimes insect feeding damage can be the culprit.
Insects can cause plant mutations by feeding alone or by vectoring disease from one plant to another. The most recent and most detrimental example of insects vectoring disease is the Asian Citrus Psyllid, which has distributed Huanglongbing, also known as citrus greening, to most of the citrus acreage in Florida and across the United States. Fortunately, the panhandle is currently free from this detrimental disorder. However, we still have a plethora of insects that distort plants by one way or another. One group of plant altering insects are commonly known as planthoppers.
Planthopper adults range in size between 1/8 to 1/4 inches long. They are slender and frequently have an angular, pointed head. Coloration depends on species, but generally planthoppers are of green, brown, or white. Immatures look similar to the adults except they are smaller and don’t have wings. Immatures typically feed on the underside of leaves, where the humidity is higher and they are more protected from predators.
Three growth stages of planthoppers. Photo Credit: UF/IFAS Extension
Planthoppers feed on plant leaves and shoots by sucking out the contents. The damage that ensues from feeding depends on the host plant and the hopper species. A few species of hoppers transmit pathogens that can alter plant growth. Usually, adult hoppers are pests only when found in high numbers.
Feeding damage from some species causes small white spots (stippling) to appear on the upper leaf surface, usually beginning near the leaf midrib. Stippled areas eventually merge together into larger whitish blotches. In some plants, feeding damage causes a drying and yellowing (or browning) of leaf tips and some planthopper species cause curling or stunting of newly formed leaves. Oftentimes, white, papery skin castings will remain from the molting process on the undersides of leaves.
Planthopper feeding damage on sweet olive. Photo Credit: UF/IFAS Extension
Planthoppers are rarely present in large enough numbers to cause significant plant damage. Fortunately, planthoppers have many natural enemies including lady beetles, lacewings, damsel bugs, and spiders. Sticky traps are recommended to help monitor planthopper populations. Planthoppers are usually attracted to yellow sticky traps that can be placed among the plant leaves. Small populations can be managed using these traps. If greater populations are present, then insecticidal soap can control young planthoppers. Make sure to spray both the top and underside of the leaves.
Planthoppers are minor pests in the landscape, but they can cause alarming mutations in plant material. Contact your local Extension Office for help with diagnosis and treatment options.
by Larry Williams | Sep 2, 2016
Tropical sod webworms have been active in local lawns during the past few weeks here in North Florida. All of our warm season turf grasses are susceptible to these pests.
Sod webworms are not consistently a problem every year. Some years their numbers are low enough that they are not a problem. Some years we do not see them at all. Those years when they are a problem, it’s usually not until late summer and early fall that they become active and they may continue to feed on lawns until frost occurs.
Fall armyworm. Photo credit: Frank Peairs Colorado State University, bugwood.org.
Fall armyworms and sod webworms can attack at the same time. Sod webworms are the smaller of the two species, reaching a length of about ¾ inch. Armyworms grow to ½ inch in length. Both of these caterpillars are greenish when young, turning brown at maturity. Armyworms generally have a light mid-stripe along their back with darker bands on either side of the mid-stripe. Their feeding is similar, resulting in notched or ragged leaf edges.
Sod webworms tend to feed in patches while armyworms cause more scattered damage. Sod webworms feed at night while armyworms will be seen feeding during the day. Sod webworm caterpillars rest, curled up near the soil surface during the day. Adults of both species are fairly small grayish to brown moths.
If your lawn has damaged spots, look closely for notched leaf blades from their chewing. You may first notice a patch in your lawn that looks like it has been mowed extra low. Closer inspection reveals grass blades that are chewed away. Caterpillar feeding on zoysiagrass shows up more as translucent whitish tan areas on the surface of individual blades more so than as notched blades.
Fall armyworms and sod webworms can be controlled with the same insecticides as the other lawn insects. But you also may use insecticides that contain Bacillus thuringiensis; a bacterium that only kills caterpillars. Control should only be directed against the caterpillars, not the non-feeding, flying adult moths. Always follow the label directions and precautions for any pesticide you use.
For more information on lawn caterpillars contact the UF/IFAS Extension Office in your County or visit http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/topic_tropical_sod_webworm.
by Les Harrison | Aug 23, 2016
Air potato leaf beetle. Photo credit: Les Harrison, UF/IFAS.
A small, but brightly colored beetle has appeared in north Florida: the air potato leaf beetle (Liliocetis cheni), a native of East Asia. The beetle, less than half an inch long, has a candy apple red body that stands out against green leaves and the more muted earth tones of most other bugs. The striking bright glossy red coating would be the envy of any sports car owner or fire truck driver.
Unlike other arrivals to the U.S., this insect was deliberately released in 2012 for biological control of air potato. After years of testing, approval was finally given to release air potato leaf beetles to begin their foraging campaign against this invasive plant species. The beetle has very specific dietary requirements and only can complete its life cycle on air potato. The larvae and adults of this species consume the leaf tissue and occasionally feed on the tubers.
When a population of air potato leaf beetles finish off an air potato thicket, they go in search of nourishment from the next patch of air potato. They are sometimes seen during stopovers while in search of their next meal.
Air potato (Dioscorea bulbifera) is an herbaceous perennial vine which is easily capable of exceeding 60 feet in length. It quickly will climb over any plant, tree or structure unfortunate enough to be in its vicinity. The vine also produces copious quantities of potato-like tubers suspended from its vines. Unless collected and destroyed, most of the easily camouflaged potatoes will germinate and intensify the infestation.
Air potato. UF/IFAS Photo: Thomas Wright.
Air potato came to Florida in 1905 from China and quickly escaped into the wild. By the 1980’s it was a serious pest species in south and central Florida, but has gradually become established in the panhandle, too. Chemical control of the air potato has been difficult. Repeated herbicide treatments are required to kill a thicket with multiple plants.
Unlike the air potato leaf beetle that only eats air potato, kudzu bugs eat their namesake vine (kudzu), but also feed on a number of other plants including a wide selection of valuable legumes and be quite destructive. Kudzu bugs were accidently introduced in north Georgia in 2009 and have spread across the south in the ensuing years and become established in north Florida.
It is a pleasant surprise to know air potato leaf beetles are working to limit the invasive air potato vine, but it is sad to think there is plenty more for them to eat.
To learn more about the air potato and the beetle:
Natural Area Weeds: Air Potato (Dioscorea bulbifera)
Air Potato Leaf Beetle Publication
Christmas is coming. So much to do. Picking out the perfect, fresh-cut tree is one of the important 
tasks. Every family member has their specific requirement. “It has to be a certain species.” It has to be a specific height and shape.” And, of course, “It has to smell great.” So, a decision is made. The perfect tree is toted home, put up and beautifully decorated. A week later, mom shrieks, “There’s ticks all over the living room!” Don’t panic. Upon inspection, you will discover that the bugs coming from your “perfect” Christmas tree are Cinara aphids.
all pines, spruces and firs. When the Christmas trees are cut at the farm and bundled for shipment, the aphids get trapped. With warmer temperatures indoors, the aphids become active. Infestations may also arise from overwintering eggs that hatch. As the tree dries out, the aphids crawl from the tree into the rest of the house.
