Writer: Mike Jackson, 972-952-9232,mjackson@ag.tamu.edu Contact: Allen Knutson, 972-952-9222,aknutson@ag.tamu.edu Jim Swart, 903-886-5363,jswart@ag.tamu.edu DALLAS North Texas wheat fields could be damaged by Hessian flies this fall, said an expert with Texas Cooperative Extension. Infestations were unusually high in the area during the spring, which indicates that the tiny flies are likely to pervade wheat fields in coming months, [...]
PORT ARANSAS - The pink hibiscus mealybug which may be of concern to Texas, citrus and ornamental industries has been found near Port Aransas. “This mealybug is a potentially serious pest of many ornamental and agricultural crops,” said Dr. Carlos Bogran, Texas Cooperative Extension entomologist. First discovered in the U.S. in Florida in [...]
SAN ANGELO - Crickets, mosquitos, flies, fleas and spiders: Texans have seen them all this summer thanks to unprecedented wet weather. But a Texas Cooperative Extension entomologist says the worst may be yet to come. Dr. Chris Sansone, Extension entomologist at San Angelo, said fall rains can trigger armyworm onslaughts that can destroy pastures, small [...]
DALLAS - After soaking in paint, dozens of maggots squirmed across construction paper leaving colorful trails behind them. “They’re not going to be moving fast, so you have to be patient,” Kim Schofield told a class of 31 fifth-grade students. Behold maggot art, said Schofield, a Texas Cooperative Extension program specialist in entomology. But it [...]
Writer: Tim W. McAlavy, 806-746-6101,t-mcalavy@tamu.edu Contact: Dr. Megha Parajulee, 806-746-6101,Mparajul@ag.tamu.edu LUBBOCK- Inquiring minds want to know. The supermarket headlines tell us so. Inquiring Texas research minds want to know more about cotton fleahoppers – a tiny, sometimes obscure pest that can damage plants during their early growth. “Fleahoppers are a threat to young cotton for about four [...]
SAN ANTONIO Texas Cooperative Extension and the Texas Department of Agriculture will offer private pesticide applicator training from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Sept. 6. Training will take place in Suite 208 of the Bexar County Extension office, located at 3355 Cherry Ridge Drive in San Antonio. “We offer training on a quarterly [...]
DALLAS - It’s not too late, or too early, to set out fire-ant bait for the notorious pests, experts say. Fire Ant Awareness Week, beginning Sept. 10, is a reminder to apply insecticides for the second time this year. Most people treat fire-ant mounds and larger infested areas in the spring, when the ants begin [...]
Audio Script DALLAS - They’re like uninvited guests who show up too early for the party. To make matters worse, they get underfoot and smell. Welcome back the field cricket. They’re arriving earlier than usual this summer in Texas, said [...]
CANYON — Lots of rain leaves standing water. Standing water attracts mosquitoes. Mosquitoes can carry West Nile Virus. And July is the prime month for cases of the disease to start showing up, said a Texas Cooperative Extension specialist. Dr. Greta Schuster, an Extension integrated pest management specialist in Canyon, will be dragging out her [...]
Writer: Mike Jackson, 972-952-9232,mcjackson@ag.tamu.edu Contact: Dr. Mike Merchant, 972-231-5362,m-merchant@tamu.edu WYLIE - Entomologists with Texas Cooperative Extension are helping a Dallas-area community hunt Formosan subterranean termites, one of the most aggressive and destructive species in the world. “They’re like termites on steroids,” said Extension entomologist Mike Merchant, who is based in Dallas. Formosans were recently discovered by a [...]
