IPM Hot Topics

by Gabe Saldana, Texas A&M AgriLife Communications Preventing Pests in Your Home is a free, limited-seating learning event that teaches best practices for maintaining a pest-free home. The Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service welcomes participants to choose from one of two sessions on Nov. 22: 10 a.m.– noon and 1 p.m.-3 p.m. in Dallas. Sessions… Read More →

by Adam Russell, Texas A&M AgriLife Communications DALLAS COUNTY – Cases of West Nile virus in Texas have been the lowest in years, and researchers may know why, according to Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service experts.  Mike Merchant, Ph.D., AgriLife Extension entomologist, Dallas, said a publication by health officials in Dallas County may shed light… Read More →

by Adam Russell, Texas A&M AgriLife Communications DALLAS – Homeowners beware, mosquitos are on the move. Dr. Mike Merchant, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service entomologist, Dallas, said temperatures are now warm enough to begin seeing early season mosquitoes. Merchant said recent rains created plenty of opportunities for mosquitoes to propagate, and homeowners should take preemptive… Read More →

by Susan Himes, Texas A&M AgriLife Communications SAN ANGELO — Haley Kennedy joined District 7 as a Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service agent on Feb. 1. She is the integrated pest management agent for Runnels and Tom Green counties. “I enjoyed working for AgriLife throughout my undergraduate and graduate education, so I knew I wanted… Read More →

by Steve Byrns, Texas A&M AgriLife Communications STEPHENVILLE – Confirmed reports of the longhorned tick, Haemaphysalis longicornis, in six states have prompted a Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service entomologist to alert Texans to its possible arrival here. Dr. Sonja Swiger, AgriLife Extension veterinary/medical entomologist at Stephenville, said the longhorned tick isn’t named for the iconic… Read More →

by Gabe Saldana, Texas A&M AgriLife Communications DALLAS — Anyone venturing into the great outdoors this summer in Texas should be ready for chiggers. That’s the message from Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service entomologist Dr. Mike Merchant in Dallas. He said reports of chiggers to AgriLife Extension offices have seen a sharp uptick in recent… Read More →

Basic integrated pest management may save crops when new technologies fail by Steve Byrns, Texas A&M AgriLife Communications COLLEGE STATION – Cotton farmers across the state could face a growing bollworm problem this season, said Dr. David Kerns, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service entomologist and statewide integrated pest management coordinator at College Station. For 15… Read More →

by Steve Byrns, Texas A&M AgriLife Communications LUBBOCK – Entomologists with the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service have just released a new statewide guide on managing cotton insect pests, said one of its authors. Dr. Suhas Vyavhare, AgriLife Extension cotton entomologist at Lubbock, said The Cotton Insect Management Guide can be accessed online at http://bit.ly/2GZi5sI or… Read More →

OVERTON – A pesticide-resistant population of common plant-damaging whiteflies has been found in Texas, according to a Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service specialist. Whiteflies are sucking, insect pests similar to aphids, and damage ornamental and food plants, said Erfan Vafaie, AgriLife Extension program specialist in integrated pest management, Overton. Adults are winged while young whiteflies… Read More →

by Gabe Saldana and Paul Schattenberg, Texas A&M Agrilife Communications DALLAS — Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service entomologists say a few simple practices can help holiday travelers deal with bedbug infestations and avoid spreading the pest. “All it takes is one traveler with bedbugs in their luggage to stay at a hotel and that hotel… Read More →