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 →

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 →

by Paul Schattenberg, Texas A&M AgriLife Communications AUSTIN — Fire ants, hackberry psyllids and other insect pests are expected to make a return appearance in South Central Texas during the fall, according to Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service entomologists. “Fire ant mounds are popping back up with the rain we’ve been getting lately,” said Wizzie… Read More →

by Steve Byrns, Texas A&M AgriLife Communications COLLEGE STATION – Homeowners and pecan orchard operators are urged to watch for pecan weevils that can decimate a crop right up to harvest, said a Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service integrated pest management specialist at College Station. “This is not a new pest, but what is new… Read More →

by Gabriel Saldana, Texas A&M AgriLife Communications DALLAS — Visitors to the Mosquito Safari website at http://mosquitosafari.tamu.edu will find comprehensive information on common mosquitoes, the diseases they carry and instructions for controlling the pest, said Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service entomologists. They said the information is critical in the wake of Hurricane Harvey, whose initial… Read More →

by Kay Ledbetter, Texas A&M AgriLife Communications AMARILLO – While sugarcane aphid populations are still low in grain sorghum fields across the Texas High Plains, a Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service specialist in Amarillo said they are beginning to establish and could reach treatable numbers. Dr. Ed Bynum, AgriLife Extension entomologist, said sugarcane aphid populations… Read More →

by Paul Schattenberg, Texas A&M AgriLife Communications CENTRAL TEXAS – As people become more active in summer, so do a few familiar pests that keep Texans itching – and scratching — for relief, said Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service entomologists. “This time of year there’s usually a significant increase in chigger and flea activity,” said… Read More →

by Kay Ledbetter, Texas A&M AgriLife Communications AMARILLO – Two insects threatening Texas Panhandle crops may require treatment, but definitely need to be monitored in young cotton, corn and sorghum crops, said a Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service specialist. Dr. Ed Bynum, AgriLife Extension entomologist in Amarillo, said early stages of grasshoppers are emerging in… Read More →

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 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 →

AUSTIN—Three Texas A&M AgriLife Extension personnel received honors at this year’s Texas Pest Management Association in Austin. The awards were given to Extension Agent-IPM Stehen Biles, Extension Agent-IPM Danielle Sekula-Ortiz, and Extension Agent-IPM Rick Minzenmayer for their dedication and hard work throughout the year. Biles received the 2014 Excellence in IPM Programming Award for seven… Read More →

by Blair Fannin, AgriLife Communications WACO – Blackland producers should be mindful of the sugarcane aphid, which infested grain and forage sorghum crops in parts of Texas in 2014 and can pose another threat with the upcoming crop season, said Dr. Allen Knutson, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service entomologist, Dallas. Knutson gave an update on… Read More →

by Paul Schattenberg, Texas A&M AgriLife Communications Experts say insect ‘invasion’ will continue as temperatures drop SAN ANTONIO – If you think you’re seeing spots before your eyes around the holidays, it may just be a tiny gnat-like insect “getting up in your grill,” according to entomologists with the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service. “If… Read More →

By: Steve Byrns, Texas A&M AgriLife Communications SAN ANGELO – The tawny crazy ant, a relative newcomer to the U.S., is expanding its range, causing concern among Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service entomologists, said a state entomology leader. “The tawny crazy ant is an invasive species that came into Texas a little over 10 years… Read More →

by Kathleen Phillips, Texas A&M AgriLife Communications COLEMAN — Sugarcane aphids have been identified on sorghum in San Saba and Coleman counties, marking the first time the insect has been found west of Interstate-35, according to Dr. Charles Allen, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service statewide integrated pest management coordinator, San Angelo. AgriLife Extension agents Rick… Read More →

by Paul Schattenberg, Texas A&M AgriLife Communications AUSTIN – If you live in South Central Texas and have noticed cedar trees turning brown, it is likely due to a new infestation of juniper budworms, said a Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service entomologist. “Many people in this area have noticed their Ashe juniper trees, commonly called… Read More →

by Rod Santa Ana, Texas A&M AgriLife Communications WESLACO  –  Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service scientists are warning South Texas grain sorghum producers to be on the lookout for a new insect pest that, left unchecked, could wipe out their entire crop. Dr. Raul Villanueva, an AgriLife Extension entomologist, and Danielle Sekula-Ortiz, an AgriLife Extension… Read More →

Threat could spread, experts warn  by:  Steve Byrns, 325-653-4576, DALLAS – Crape myrtle, a much used Texas landscape plant, is under threat from a new type of scale invader, said two Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service experts. Dr. Mike Merchant, AgriLife Extension urban entomologist at Dallas, said the new scale pest turns the bark of… Read More →

by Rod Santa Ana WESLACO  –  A tiny insect of unknown origin is posing a serious threat to the billion dollar Texas grain sorghum crop, according to Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service experts. The threat comes at a time when a lingering drought and market pressures suggest growers will plant a larger than normal crop… Read More →

The Department of Entomology at Texas A&M and the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service welcomes Brad Easterling to the Statewide Integrated Pest Management program. Easterling joined the Garden City Extension Agent-IPM position on January 2, replacing the vacant position that was previously held by Warren Multer, who retired on March 31, 2013. He will be… Read More →

STEPHENVILLE, Texas – The summer months usually bring barbecues and swimming pools, and the start of mosquito season. To help keep residents safe and informed, entomologists at the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service recently launched a special website portal called texaswestnile.tamu.edu for information on West Nile Virus, mosquitoes and mosquito prevention. The idea to start… Read More →