IPM Hot Topics

COLLEGE STATION – Educating the public to protect themselves from Zika has become “priority one” for the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service, a state leader said. AgriLife Extension is tasked with educating the public on a great number of topics for all ages, but in a bold unprecedented move, the agency has harnessed its statewide presence to… Read More →

AMARILLO – The “whens” and the “whats” of the sugarcane aphid are fueling the research of Dr. Ada Szczepaniec, Texas A&M AgriLife entomologist. For example, when are they most damaging, and what grain sorghum varieties do they prefer? With the support of Texas Grain Sorghum Producers, Szczepaniec is testing several different strategies to determine their… Read More →

By: Paul Schattenberg, Texas A&M AgriLife Communications DALLAS – 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… Read More →

By: Paul Schattenberg, Texas A&M AgriLife Communications DALLAS – It’s getting close to fly season again and a new Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service publication will help people identify different types of indoor flies, understand their biology and, most importantly, learn how to eliminate them. “Next to ants, flies may be the most common household… Read More →

By Adam Russell, Texas A&M AgriLife Communications STEPHENVILLE – Reports of black flies are increasing as recent rains created favorable conditions for the swarming, biting pest, according to Dr. Sonja Swiger, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service entomologist, Stephenville. Black flies aren’t like run-of-the-mill house flies or other biting flies, such as horn or stable flies,… Read More →

By: Paul Schattenberg and Steve Byrns, Texas A&M AgriLife Communications SAN ANTONIO – Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service entomologists are informing Texans on how to protect themselves from the mosquito vectors that spread Zika and other diseases. “The ongoing outbreak of the Zika virus has spread throughout most of South America, Central America and the… Read More →

By: Paul Schattenberg, Texas A&M AgriLife Communications AgriLife Extension expert: Treatment depends on mound location, situation SAN ANTONIO – The recent rains have brought fire ants closer to the surface, both literally and as a matter of concern for area property owners, said a Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service expert based in San Antonio. “Rain… Read More →

By: Paul Schattenberg and Steve Byrns, Texas A&M AgriLife Communications DALLAS – Anticipating a significant increase in the state’s mosquito population, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service entomologists are offering tips on how Texans can help slow mosquito breeding in backyards and protect from being bitten. “Mosquito populations are booming throughout the state and will likely… Read More →

by Paul Schattenberg, Texas A&M AgriLife Communications AUSTIN – With the weather warming and spring just around the corner, Central Texas residents can soon expect a pest proliferation and “exclusion” is the best way to prepare for it, said a Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service expert. “We’ve had a relatively bug-free winter and it’s been… Read More →