Integrated Pest Management

Pesticide Safety Miniposter IPM: Beyond Spraying

R. W. Baldwin, S. K. Hill, Philip Koehler, J. C. Medley, and P. A. Mitola

Intercropping, Crop Diversity and Pest Management

Hugh A. Smith and Oscar E. Liburd

Integrated Management of Bacterial Spot on Tomato in Florida

Amanda Strayer-Scherer, Ying-Yu Liao, Peter Abrahamian, Sujan Timilsina, Mathews Paret, Tim Momol, Jeff Jones, and Gary Vallad

Bacterial spot is one of the most detrimental diseases of tomato and is especially severe in the southeast United States when weather conditions (high temperature, high humidity, and rain) become conducive for disease development. This publication presents updated information about the causal pathogen and management of bacterial spot on tomato in Florida.

Integrated Pest Management in Protected Structures I: Basic Principles and Scouting

Hugh A. Smith, Gary E. Vallad, and Bielinski M. Santos

Landscape Integrated Pest Management

Eileen Buss and Adam G. Dale

Integrated Management of Southern Blight in Vegetable Production

Chenzhao Xie and Gary Vallad

This document is PP272, one of a series of the Plant Pathology Department, UF/IFAS Extension. Original publication date March 2010.

Know Your Pests When Trapping Soybean Looper in the Florida Panhandle

Ethan Carter, Tyler Shaw, Libbie Johnson, and Silvana V. Paula-Moraes

Pheromone trapping is a common scouting method used in collaboration with integrated pest management. A major crop pest of many plant species, including Panhandle crops like peanut and cotton, is the soybean looper.  A soybean looper pheromone-trapping study performed in Panhandle commercial peanut and cotton fields also attracted other species with similar appearances, sometimes in high numbers. Misidentification would result in overestimation of soybean looper populations and likely unnecessary insecticide applications. The sharp stigma looper, due to its high seasonal abundance and flight pattern similar to that of the soybean looper, was most concerning. This insect is not a pest and can be discerned from the soybean looper easily through its wing markings, if someone knows what to look for, but if these harmless moths were unwittingly thought of as soybean loopers, it could greatly skew population numbers and prompt improper applications of pesticides.

Chapter 4. Integrated Pest Management

Peter J. Dittmar, Nicholas S. Dufault, Johan Desaeger, Jawwad Qureshi, Nathan S. Boyd, and Mathews L. Paret

Chapter 4 of the Vegetable Production Handbook of Florida

Management of the Blueberry Gall Midge on Southern Highbush Blueberries in Florida

Marice Lopez, Patricio Munoz, and Oscar Liburd

The blueberry gall midge (BGM) is one of the most important pests of southern highbush blueberries in Florida. Monitoring for BGM using clear sticky traps or bucket traps should begin as early as November. Chemical control should be applied right before bud break and then ten days after bud break, or when at least two BGM are found on traps. Other management practices include the use of younger mulch, using potentially resistant cultivars, and chemical control such as Movento with Induce and Apta in rotation to avoid resistance development. Applications should also be timed with larval and adult emergence for optimal insecticide efficacy. 

Pesticide Mode of Action Classification: Understanding Resistance Action Committees (RACs)

Emily C. Kraus and Brett Bultemeier

This publication defines the concept of a pesticide mode of action and provides several examples. It emphasizes the importance of identifying and differentiating modes of action for pesticide resistance management. To this end, it defines the development and goals of the three Resistance Action Committees for insecticides (IRAC), herbicides (HRAC), and fungicides (FRAC) and describes each group’s pesticide mode of action classification scheme. Finally, it provides an example of a pesticide label and instructs applicators on how to rotate pesticides to manage resistance. This publication presents the subject matter in a concise manner and directs pesticide applicators to the very useful RAC Mode of Action group numbers for rotation purposes. 

Integrated pest management goes hand-in-hand with safety

Emily C. Kraus

This publication is geared toward pest management specialists, certified pesticide applicators, and homeowners who are managing indoor and outdoor pests. It provides a broad definition of a pest and describes integrated pest management (IPM) and pest management strategies. As opposed to other EDIS which are specific to management areas (ex: landscape, turf, vegetable) this publication can be used as a basis for all sectors of pest management. The publication also emphasizes using IPM to reduce the development of pesticide resistance and emphasizes how each aspect of IPM contributes to personal and environmental safety.

“Push-pull” Technology and Companion Planting: A Dual Strategy for Insect Pest Management in High Tunnel Vegetable Production and Organic Systems

Jesusa C. Legaspi, Alejandro Bolques, Fanny E. Ospina, Shufang Tian, Juan Carlos Díaz-Pérez, Amanda C. Hodges, Adam J. Pitcher, and Xin Zhao

This publication is aimed to introduce “push-pull” technology and companion planting for pest management to high tunnel vegetable growers. It is also of interest to other crop producers wishing to improve their IPM practices.

Mole Cricket IPM Guide for Florida

C. R. Kerr, N. C. Leppla, E. A. Buss, and J. H. Frank

This guide will help you identify mole cricket infestations and manage them effectively and economically while minimizing environmental impacts.

Weed of the Month: Bittercress

Robert Annis

While is sounds like something you might find in a $25 salad at a trendy restaurant, bittercress (Cardamine spp.) is a common weed in your yard during the fall and winter. This cool season annual prefers a shady spot in your lawn. It grows as a basal rosette, and being related to the mustard plant, […]

Keeping Aphids Out of Your Winter Garden

Molly Jameson

Keeping Aphids Out of Your Winter Garden Here in North Florida, mild winters allow for extended growing seasons, but they also enable pests like aphids to stay active year-round. While freezing temperatures in colder regions slow down or kill off aphids, our area’s warm spells allow them to thrive on cool-season crops like kale, […]

The Spooky Bug Brigade: Whip Scorpions

Jackie Lebouitz

As our community continues to recover from recent storms, find helpful resources and information at tiny.cc/ufsaraext_disasterprep, tiny.cc/saraco_disasterprep, and scgov.net/government/emergency-services/storm. This blog is part of a multi-part series. To meet other members of “The Spooky Bug Brigade,” visit our blog’s landing page. Whip Scorpions (Uropygi) Description Although these unusual arachnids closely resemble scorpions, they are missing a very important […]