Polk Small Farms: New and Revised Lawn and Garden publications, June and July 2015

New and Revised #EDISpubs for June and July include:

· To plant: Spondias (tropical fruit) and aquatic skyflower

· Pests & Weeds: African honey bees, ambrosia and turpentine beetles, carpenter and crazy ants, dagger nematodes, and doveweed

Lawn & Garden

African Honey Bee: What You Need to Know

African honey bees entered the United States in the early 1990s and have since spread throughout the Southwest and Southeast, including parts of Florida. Compared to European bees, African bees are highly aggressive when disturbed and are more likely to sting humans and animals. This 6-page fact sheet covers the history and distribution of African honey bees in the Americas and explains how beekeepers and residents can manage their interactions with these bees. Written by H. Glenn Hall, Catherine Zettel-Nalen and James D. Ellis, and published by the UF Department of Entomology and Nematology, December 2014. http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/mg113

An ambrosia beetle Xyleborus affinis Eichhoff, 1868 (Insecta: Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae)

Xyleborus affinis is one of the most widespread and common ambrosia beetles in the world. It is also very common in Florida. Like other ambrosia beetles, it bores tunnels into the xylem of weakened, cut or injured trees and farms gardens of symbiotic fungus for food. Females lay eggs in the fungus-lined galleries and larvae feed exclusively on the fungi. Recent studies have shown that Xyleborus affinis can vector the fungus responsible for laurel wilt disease, which is lethal to numerous species of trees in the Lauraceae family. This 5-page fact sheet was written by Lanette Sobel, Andrea Lucky, and Jiri Hulcr, and published by the UF Department of Entomology and Nematology, June 2015. (Photo credit: Juri Hulcr, UF/IFAS)
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/in1094

Black Turpentine Beetle, Dendroctonus terebrans (Olivier) (Insecta: Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae)

Black turpentine beetles bore into the inner bark of stressed or injured pines, where they breed and feed on phloem tissue. Adults are strongly attracted to volatile pine odors and readily breed in fresh stumps. In typical forests, infestations do not exhibit the rapid and devastating expansion characteristic of the closely related southern pine beetle, but in stands where stress conditions are frequent or persistent, black turpentine beetle can become a chronic pest and cause significant mortality over an extended period of time. Historically, black turpentine beetle has been a major pest of pines wounded or treated with herbicides in naval stores production. During the 1950s, black turpentine beetle damaged 37 million board feet of timber and contributed to the financial collapse of turpentine farms. This 5-page fact sheet was written by Albert E. Mayfield, John L. Foltz and Jiri Hulcr, and published by the UF Department of Entomology and Nematology, June 2015. (Photo credit Adam Black and Jiri Hulcr, UF/IFAS)
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/in636

Dagger Nematode Xiphinema spp. (Cobb, 1913) Inglis, 1983 (Nematoda: Enoplea: Dorylaimia: Dorylaimina: Xiphinematinae)

Dagger nematodes parasitize plants. They cause economic damage and death of host crops through feeding on the roots and by spreading viral mosaic and wilting diseases, but field studies have shown that some control measures targeting reduction in the population of dagger nematodes can be effective in controlling viral diseases in susceptible crops. This 7-page fact sheet was written by William K. Heve, William T. Crow, and Tesfamarian Mengistu, and published by the UF Department of Entomology and Nematology, June 2015.
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/in1097

Doveweed (Murdannia nudiflora) Control in Warm-Season Turfgrass Species
Doveweed is an aggressive, naturalized summer annual weed that rapidly invades warm-season turfgrass species, especially in residential lawns, and few herbicides can effectively control it. Because of these challenges, a well-designed management strategy is necessary for doveweed control. This 4-page fact sheet describes identification, growth requirements, chemical control and cultural practices. Written by Ramon G. Leon and Bryan Unruh, and published by the UF Department of Agronomy, June 2015.
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ag395

Florida Carpenter Ants

Carpenter ants are in the genus Camponotus, in which up to over 900 species have been described worldwide. They get their common name, “carpenter ant,” because some species excavate nests in wood. Carpenter ants are sometimes called bulldog ants or bull ants. However, not all species in the genus Camponotus are true carpenter ants because some nest in preformed cavities or in soil. This 5-page fact sheet was original published as part of Pests in and around the Florida Home, and was written by R. J. Vazquez, P. G. Koehler, R. M. Pereira, J. Warner, and R. H. Scheffrahn, and published by the UF Department of Entomology and Nematology, October 2013.
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/in1075

Spondias Growing in the Florida Home Landscape
Spondias species (whose common names among English speakers include ambarella, Ataheite apple, mombins, and hog plums) are flowering trees native to tropical and subtropical regions. They are known for their sweet fruit and grow well in the warmest parts of Florida. This 8-page fact sheet discusses biology, distribution and uses, as well as guidelines for propagation and maintenance. Written by Jonathan H. Crane and Jeffrey Wasielewski, and published by the UF Department of Horticultural Sciences, April 2015. (Photo by Forest & Kim Starr, CC BY 3.0)
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/mg059

Skyflower: Hydrolea corymbosa
Skyflower is a native wetland plant that produces brilliant blue flowers and can be found throughout Florida. This 4-page facts sheet details skyflower biology, distribution and habitat, propagation, and uses. Written by Lyn A. Gettys and Carl J. Della Torre III, and published by the UF Department of Agronomy, July 2015.
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ag397

Tawny Crazy Ant

As of 2012, tawny crazy ants have invaded 24 counties in Florida, parts of southeast Texas, and other areas of the southeastern U.S. The tawny crazy ant is considered a series pest. This species infests buildings and greenhouses, attacks crops, domestic animals, honeybee hives, displaces native ant species, and disrupts electrical equipment. This 3-page fact sheet covers the tawny crazy ant’s distribution, description, colonies, feeding habits, and pest status and control. Written by S. K. Hill, R. W. Baldwin, R. M. Pereira, and P. G. Koehler, and published by the UF Department of Entomology and Nematology, October 2013.
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/in1076

Vespiform Thrips Franklinothrips vespiformis Crawford (Insecta: Thysanoptera: Aeolothripidae)
Franklinothrips vespiformis Crawford is a predatory thrips with a pantropical distribution. The distinctive red, humped-back larvae and fast-moving ant-like adults are predaceous on small arthropods. In addition to being easily mistaken for an ant, this beneficial thrips is unusual in that it constructs a silken cocoon within which it pupates. Males of this species are rare. This species is sold for use as a biological control agent in botanical gardens, zoos, interior landscapes, research greenhouses, nurseries with ornamental plants as well as outdoors in subtropical regions. This 4-page fact sheet was written by Runqian Mao, Yingfang Xiao, and Steven P. Arthurs, and published by the UF Department of Entomology and Nematology, March 2015. (Photo credit: Runqian Mao, UF/IFAS)
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/in1083