Okeechobee Pest Alerts

Okeechobee County Extension

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UF/IFAS Pest Alert Menu

FDACS/DPI Pest Alert Menu

Local FDACS staff

UF/IFAS DepartmentsLinks:

Entomology & Nematology

Environmental Horticulture

Plant Pathology

UF/IFAS Research Centers:

GULF COAST RESEARCH AND EDUCATION CENTER http://gcrec.ifas.ufl.edu
MID FLORIDA RESEARCH AND EDUCATION CENTER http://mrec.ifas.ufl.edu
NORTH FLORIDA RESEARCH AND EDUCATION CENTER http://nfrec.ifas.ufl.edu
TROPICAL RESEARCH AND EDUCATION CENTER http://trec.ifas.ufl.edu
INDIAN RIVER RESEARCH AND EDUCATION CENTER http://irrec.ifas.ufl.edu
FORT LAUDERDALE RESEARCH AND EDUCATION CENTER http://flrec.ifas.ufl.edu
WEST FLORIDA RESEARCH AND EDUCATION CENTER http://wfrec.ifas.ufl.edu

Florida Medical Entomology Laboratory http://fmel.ifas.ufl.edu

Last update: 01/04/2008 This page is maintained by Dan Culbert

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Florida Cooperative Extension Service / IFAS / University of Florida. Larry A. Arrington, Dean

November 2007	Red Palm Mite Raoiella indica, a serious pest of many palms, was found in Palm Beach Gardens. Se the FDACS DPI web page on this pest for details and management suggestions.
November 2007	The Fig Whitefly – A new pest of Ficus benjamina and Ficus nitida has been discovered in Miami/ Dade County. It will defoliate trees and wreck nursery crops. See Adrian Hunsberger's fact sheet (pdf) for more information.
June 2007	Gladiolus Rust Uromyces transversalis was found on a cut flower farm in Manatee County, FL on April 12, 2006. Click here for more. or here for FDACS press release on this disease.
April 2007	Red palm mite Raoiella indica was reported in early 2007 in US Virgin Islands and Granada. It effects palms, bananas, heliconias and gingers. It is spread by infested plants including items made from palm fronds like hats (right). Click here for more information.
February 2007	Africanized Honey bees (AHBs) have been confirmed in nine states in the U.S. and continue their march across Florida. The USDA has updated its map on Africanized honey bee's spread. As of January 2007, they are located in Martin, St. Lucie, Glades and Highlands Counties. It will not be long before they will be detected in Okeechobee . For the 1/2007map ,.click here (pdf document)
August 2006	The Q-biotype whitefly is officially confirmed in five Florida counties: Dade, Lee, Hillsborough , Suwannee, and Orange. For information on this whitefly see this Featured Creatures site or Lance Osborne's Q-Whitefly site: http://mrec.ifas.ufl.edu/lso/bemisia/bemisia.htm .
August 2006	A new leaf footed bug, Leptoglossus zonatus, has been found in Florida. The white band is zigzagged, and it has two white eyespots behind the head. If you see this bug, please collect them - our office would like to sent them to the state for positive ID. Clck here for more info.
July 2006	A new Mealybug, IIcerya genistae, was found in Broward County this month. It seems to like bean relatives and can build up fairly large populations. Click here to go to FDACS Pest Alert.
April 2006	Suspected Whitefly Q Biotype in Manatee County – Vegetable growers take note! Click here for pdf document!
December 2005	Chili Thrips are new insect pests that effect a many ornamental, fruit and vegetable plants. They have been found to be a problem on roses in Orange and Palm Beach counties. A good resource page has been placed on the UF/IFAS MidFlorida REC - click here.
September 2005	Citrus Greening - a disease of Citrus trees and their relatives, has been found in Homestead. It could be worse than Citrus Canker. It is spread by the citrus psyllid, and insect, and by moving contaminated plants. For info about disease, click here. A quarantine now exists in Miami-Dade County.
June 2005	The snowbush spanworm, the larva of the white-tipped black moth, has been found in increased numbers on Snow bush (a.k.a. snow on the mountain). for an update & mgt. information, click here:
June 2005	The Coconut borer, Pachymerus nucleorum, was found for the first time in the United States at a light trap in Palm Beach, Florida. This beetle feeds on palm species within the following genera: Acrocomia, Attalea, Cocos, Elaeis, Orbignya, and Syagrus. For more info, click here and go to the archives for the 6/17/05 citation.
May 2005	A new pest of Queen Palms - may be a disease? - click on link to see Dr. Elliott's latest document [5/5/05]
May 2005	Asian Ambrosia Beetle - a new possible insect of Red Bay Trees
April 2005	New Sweet potato Whitefly (Biotype Q): FDACS page or Greenhouse Product News (GPN) 4/18 update. Also see update above, April 2006.
January 2005	Pink Hibiscus Mealybug homepage
August 2004	New Palm and Bamboo pests - Exotic Palmicultor mealybugs
April 2004	Sudden Oak Death Phytophthora ramorum (a.k.a."SOD") As of this date, there are no reports of this potentially dangerous plant disease in our area. A UF Fact sheet, Sudden Oak Death (PP197) is available at our Extension office or at this site: http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/pp118. A comprehensive site on SOD is this page http://spdn.ifas.ufl.edu/sudden_oak_death.htm
April 2004	Lobate Lac scale There has been a positive infestation in a commercial landscape in Martin County. Be on the lookout for this pest. To learn more about this insect pest, see the following references (with color photos) at this Featured Creatures Article: http://creatures.ifas.ufl.edu/orn/scales/lobate_lac.htm
February 2004	Asian Cycad Scale (Aulacaspis yasumatsui) This serious pest of Sago palms has taken them out of many local landscapes. Click here to go to the ACS webpage.
January 2004	Got Geraniums? look for this disease on the leaves: Southern Wilt of Geranium Ralstonia solanacearum