Vol.2 / No.21 - North Florida Research & Education Center ...

NFREC NEWS
http://nfrec.ifas.ufl.edu/News/Archive2000/NEWSLETTER_V2_N21_00.htm
1 of 4 11/13/2008 11:08 AM
Quincy ♦ 155 Research Road, Quincy, FL 32351-5677 ♦ Phone 850-875-7100
Marianna ♦ 3925 Hwy 71, Marianna, FL 32446-7906 ♦ Phone 850-482-9904
Suwannee Valley ♦ 7580 County Road 136, Live Oak, FL 32060 ♦ Phone 386-362-1725
HOME Calendar / News Contacts Programs Photo Gallery Suwannee Valley IFAS Related Links Popular Links Administrative
Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences
NFREC NEWS
Research and Extension Updates
From
North Florida Research & Education Center
Vol. #2 No. #21 October 23, 2000
From the Director: Our goal is to provide the faculty with the latest news from the Center research projects and extension activities, and other
timely information items. Please feel free to use the contents of the newsletter in your county newsletters and education activities as you wish. If
you'd like additional details on newsletter items, contact the faculty member author or our editor, Cheryl Vergot.
Regards, Dr. George Hochmuth, NFREC Director
Dates of Interest
October 26-28: Brangus Association Sale
Beef Unit, Marianna, FL
November 4: 4-H Heifer Show
William Inman Agricultural Center
November 6: Sugar Cane Day
NFREC-Quincy
November 8: Consumer Beware (Consumer Fraud & Protection Seminar)
Fort Walton Beach
November 9: Consumer Beware
Gulf Breeze
Green Industry Updates for Nursery, Greenhouse
and Landscape Organizations
November 8: Cairo, GA (producers)
November 9: Tallahassee, FL (landscapers)
November 10: Kingsland, GA (producers and landsapers)
November 2-12: North Florida Fair
Tallahassee, FL
December 7: Gadsden County Tomato Forum
The Golf Club of Quincy 9:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
January-February:
Beef Cattle Management Short Course
February 15: Panhandle Beef Conference & Trade Show
Marianna Ag Center
Personnel Notes
Welcome to Prakash Pradhanang who is a new Post Doc at NFREC-Quincy working on integrated management of bacterial wilt of tomato
with Dr. Tim Momol. He received his Masters Degree in Crop protection from the University of Reading, UK in 1989 and PhD from the same
University in 1998. His Master's thesis is on sensitive detection of Ralstonia solanacearum in soil and PhD on ecology and genetic diversity of the
bacterial wilt causing bacterium R. solanacearum. For his Master's thesis he worked at Rothamsted Experimental Station in Harpenden and for PhD
at Central Science Laboratory, York. Dr Pradhanang has 10 years of research and extension experience working on integrated management of

NFREC NEWS
http://nfrec.ifas.ufl.edu/News/Archive2000/NEWSLETTER_V2_N21_00.htm
2 of 4 11/13/2008 11:08 AM
bacterial wilt of potato in the hills of Nepal. His wife Bhuwan Pradhanang and two children (Saurab, 15 and Gaurav, 10) are joining him soon.
Also welcome to Andrew Clark of Quincy who is working for Dr. Tim Momol and Dr. Steve Olson. In addition to
working at NFREC-Quincy, Andrew is a college student at Tallahassee Community College.
Dr. Jim Rich attended a weekend retreat sponsored by Partners of the Americas (PA) at Stevens Point, Wisconsin. PA is a non-profit
organization funded by USAID and private foundations to Farmer to Farmer assistance programs throughout this hemisphere. The meeting was
assembled to organize the PA agenda for the year 2001. Jim, Bill Thomas (Columbia), Jacque Breman (Union), and Jeff Simmons (Nassau) have
served as volunteers with PA in Haiti for two years. More volunteers are needed from North Florida. If you are interested, contact Jim.
More Info on Dates
All are welcome to visit Quincy for Sugar Cane Day. Please see Charlene for a map and directions on
where (and where not) to cut. You can call Charlene for additional information at 875-7100.
January 22, 29 and February 5, 12, 19, 26 Basic Beef Cattle Management Short Course- is to be held on consecutive Monday nights from
7-9 PM Eastern time (6-8 Central). This will be a satellite course offered in every county statewide with a livestock/ag agent.
Doug Mayo
Livestock Agent
Jackson County Extension
850-482-9620 or Sun 789-9620
email: dem@ifas.ufl.edu
Web Page: http://livestock.ufl.edu
PROGRAM UPDATES
FIREWOOD PESTS
Cool weather this time of the year brings on thoughts of having a fine in the fireplace or wood stove. Firewood brought into the home, garage or
moved onto the porch can be a source of unwanted pests. Most pests living in firewood pose no threat to people, furniture, or to the structure.
Nonetheless, homeowners often become concerned when insects emerge from wood that is brought indoors and crawl or fly about the house.
Several types of pests may be found living in firewood. Termites, wood boring beetles and carpenter ants often tunnel and feed within firewood
logs, but upon emergence, usually will not infest structural wood or furniture inside the home. Other kinds of pests simply hide or overwinter
beneath the bark. Examples include centipedes, ground beetles, stink bugs, pillbugs, spiders, scorpions and wood cockroaches. Typically, these
pests emerge within a few days of the wood being brought indoors. For the most part they are harmless but can be a genuine nuisance.
Firewood pests may be controlled for the most part by management of the firewood itself. Spraying the wood with insecticides is not necessary,
effective, nor recommended and could result in harmful vapors when the wood is burned. A much better approach is to:
1. Store firewood outdoors, only bringing in what you plan to burn immediately or within a few hours. Storing firewood for extended periods inside
the home or garage allows pests developing or hiding in the wood to emerge within the home.
2. Position the woodpile away from the house and off the ground. Firewood stacked against the side of a building impedes ventilation and
encourages moisture problems. Storing the wood in this manner also provides a direct, hidden avenue for termites and carpenter ants into the
structure.
3. Burn older wood first. This shortens the time during which pest infestations can become established.
4. Shake or knock logs together to dislodge any pests clinging to bark. Don't forget to check bottoms of log carriers, since pests often crawl into
these when logs are transported into the home. The occasional insect emerging from firewood can easily be eliminated using a broom or a vacuum
cleaner.
Richard Sprenkel
(Sprenkel, NFREC News, 2-21)
It's time for the ladybirds to enter buildings
Harmonia axyridis, the multicolored Asian ladybird, is an introduced beneficial species from Asia that has colonized most of north America
including Florida. As a beneficial it is quite effective feeding on aphids, mites, scale and moth eggs. It can be commonly found in the summer and
fall feeding on crapemyrtle aphids on crape myrtle wherever they occur.
Unfortunately, the ladybirds overwinter en masse in buildings. In north Florida this phenomena can occur anytime from November to January.
The beetles are usually attracted to light colored buildings facing south to west. Such buildings reflect sunlight with high intensity that attracts the
beetles. The beetles in Asia overwinter naturally in rocky outcrops on the sides of mountains.
The ladybirds are looking for a place to overwinter and will enter dwelling through cracks and crevasses around windows, doors and others
structural parts. Once the ladybirds enter a dwelling they may continue to crawl around and exit into the interior. When this happens, the ladybirds
can be very annoying and soil furnishings when disturbed by releasing a foul-smelling defensive secretion. It is not uncommon to have 10,000 -
20,000 H. axyridis in a single dwelling and I have seen as many
as 100,000 in a dwelling.
County faculty should be prepared for these calls and make recommendations accordingly. At this point there is not much one can do except
extol the benefit of ladybirds as predators of pests in the summer and the following. The ladybirds often return to the same dwellings every year.
Affected individuals should make sure for prevention that pathways of entry into the house such as cracks and crevasses around windows, doors,
roofs, etc. are caulked and closed. This is important both for

NFREC NEWS
http://nfrec.ifas.ufl.edu/News/Archive2000/NEWSLETTER_V2_N21_00.htm
3 of 4 11/13/2008 11:08 AM
energy conservation and also to exclude other urban insect pests such as cockroaches and ants. Once the ladybirds are inside the house they can be
removed with a vacuum cleaner or a light trap.
For several years I have been developing a trap to collect the ladybirds and prevent entry into dwellings. I hope to have a prototype completed
for next season that is ready for prime time.
Russ Mizell, Professor of Entomology
(Mizell, NFREC News, 2-21)
UV-Reflective Mulch as an IPM Tactic for Thrips and
Tomato Spotted Wilt Virus in Tomato and Pepper in Florida
BY JULIE STAVISKY, JOE FUNDERBURK, STEVE OLSON AND TIM MOMOL
Western flower thrips and the pathogen they vector, tomato spotted wilt virus (TSWV), have become a severe pest problem in tomatoes and
peppers in north Florida and south Georgia over the past 15 years. The lack of reliable management tactics stands as a major impediment to the
implementation of integrated pest management in tomatoes in the southeastern United States.
Tomato: From 1996 through 1999, UV-reflective mulches consistently reduced western flower thrips by at least 50% in tomato flowers. When the
number of thrips was reduced, the primary spread of TSWV was reduced. In 1998 and 1999, experiments were conducted with UV-mulch as well
as SpinTor and Monitor to investigate the combined effects of UV-mulch and insecticides. Reductions in populations of western flower thrips in
UV-reflective mulch was most dramatic in the untreated tomato plots, but early in the season (until approximately May 15), fewer thrips were
observed in UV-reflective mulch plots in all insecticide treatments. On average, percent incidence of TSWV was twice as great on black mulch as
on UV-reflective mulch.
Studies were expanded in the spring of 2000 to evaluate the effects of various insecticides, Actigard, and UV-reflective mulch on population
dynamics of thrips and disease incidences in larger plots. Incidence of TSWV in each plot was determined by assessing the percent of plants with
visible symptoms and representative samples confirmed by ELISA. Disease data as of June 21 is shown below.
% Tomato Spotted Wilt Incidence
30 May 21 June
Actigard No Actigard Actigard No Actigard
Black Mulch 21 29 28.6 38.0
UV-Reflective
(Silver) Mulch 8 10 17.0 19.6
Pepper: Experiments were begun in the spring of 2000 to evaluate the effects of various insecticides and UV-reflective mulch on population
dynamics of western flower thrips and incidence of TSWV in pepper. The combined treatment of SpinTor and UV-reflective mulch was extremely
effective in reducing western flower thrips. Percent incidence of TSWV was reduced from close to 6% in untreated peppers on black mulch to 2%
on UV-reflective mulch with or without insecticide.
Summary: Our research has demonstrated the value of UV-reflective mulches for TSWV management in tomato and pepper, and growers have
already shown a willingness to try this IPM tactic on their farms.
(Stavisky, Funderburk, Olson, Momol, NFREC News 2-21)
Thought for the Day:
Is there anyone who wants their tombstone to read,
"If only I could've spent a few more hours at work"?
Cheryl Vergot, Public Relations
NFREC - Quincy, U/F IFAS
E-Mail: cvergot@ifas.ufl.edu
Phone: (850) 875-7112
The Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences is an Equal Employment Opportunity Affirmative Action Employer authorized to provide research, educational information and
other services only to individuals and institutions that function without regard to race, color, sex, age handicap or national origin.
COOPERATIVE EXTENSION WORK IN AGRICULTURE, FAMILY & CONSUMER SERVICES, STATE OF FLORIDA, IFAS, UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA, U.S.
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, AND BOARDS OF COUNTY COMMISSIONER COOPERATING
An Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Institution
For IFAS-related questions or information, please contact IFAS External Relations.
Copyright © 1994-2000|University of Florida | Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences
For web site problems or suggestions, contact Laurie Osborne, Webmaster.

NFREC NEWS
http://nfrec.ifas.ufl.edu/News/Archive2000/NEWSLETTER_V2_N21_00.htm
4 of 4 11/13/2008 11:08 AM