UF Ext. Service for Okaloosa County

by Larry Williams A number of summers ago, I noticed whiteflies on a confederate rose plant in my landscape. I considered using an insecticide to control the whiteflies but decided against doing so after taking a closer look. What I found was a population of ladybugs – eggs, larvae, pupae and adults. Ladybug adults and larvae eat whiteflies, as well as ...

By Jennifer Bearden Regardless of whether you are a homeowner, land manager or farmer; when you spray an herbicide, you are a pesticide applicator and must follow certain rules.  One of them is the Florida Organo-Auxin Herbicide Rule 5E-2.033.  Organo-auxin herbicides are very volatile and can drift onto off-target plants if not managed properly.  Tomato plants are especially sensitive to ...

by Larry Williams Many people treat their lawn with an insecticide when they see mole crickets in the spring or at the first sign of a brown area in their lawn. What they don’t understand is the biology of this pest. Mole crickets spend the winter as adults in the soil. As temperatures warm in late February and March, adult ...

March 20, 2017 by Jennifer Bearden There are many ways to improve white-tailed deer habitat.  One of those ways is planting agricultural crops in food plots.  Food plots are only one component of deer habitat management.  Other components include prescribed fire, thinning pines, and promote diversity of trees, shrubs, and grasses.  Food plots are used as either attractants or supplemental ...

March 17, 2017 by Larry Williams Be careful to not overuse pesticides. Pesticides are good tools when used properly. But overuse of pesticides in our lawns, landscapes and gardens can result in a number of problems. Insects can become resistant to insecticides when a product is repeatedly used. Because many insect species reproduce rapidly, having many generations per year, a ...

March 01, 2017 by Jennifer Bearden There are several variables in the vaccination equation:  the people, the animals, and the vaccine.  All these variables work together to create immunity to diseases in our livestock.  With so many variables, things can sometimes go wrong and the animal fails to develop the desired immune response.  Put another way; the animal can get ...

February 14, 2017 by Jennifer Bearden Several cases of monensin toxicity in horses have been reported in the Southeastern U.S. over that last few months.  Monensin is an ionophore antibiotic that is commonly added to livestock feeds such as poultry and cattle feeds.  This is a safe feed additive for ruminants and poultry, but horses are very sensitive to monensin.  ...

February 7, 2017 by Jennifer Bearden In the US, only 2% of the citizens produce our food supply.  In order to feed the world, our farmers have adopted the use of Integrated Pest Management or IPM.  IPM is the coordinated use of pest and environmental information and available pest control methods to prevent unacceptable levels of damage by the most ...

February 5, 2017 by Larry Williams Many people that move to our area are disappointed to find that they have paid for, planted and cared for fruit trees that are not adapted to our climate. Weather is probably the most important factor determining where certain fruits can and cannot be grown. Most fruits which grow in the northern part of ...

January 31, 2017 by Jennifer Bearden Raising chickens in your backyard is becoming a national fad.  There has been a push to change land use codes to allow for small scale poultry production in large cities and towns.  More people want to raise their own chickens for eggs and meat.  However, raising poultry is not for everyone. Before purchasing poultry, ...