Southern Blacklands IPM Blog

Amazing Photos From Japan

2012-01-10T07:17:00.000-08:00

This is a really short blog, just to share a link to these awesome photos of fireflies in Japan. They are taken with a really long exposure, so you can see the trails of each firefly blinking as it flies.

Here's the link.

New Insect Repellent Discovered in Spider Webs

2011-11-29T10:36:00.000-08:00

Photo adapted from Figure 1 of Zhang et al 2011, showing ants crossing spider silk that has had the chemical removed (top) and not crossing the intact spider silk (bottom).

This is just a quick post to share a link to a story that I found interesting. Researchers from the University of Melbourne and the National University of Singapore have discovered a chemical in the silk of golden orb web spiders (Nephila antipodiana) that acts as an ant repellent. It makes sense that spider webs would contain a chemical with such properties, since you rarely, if ever, see ants in spider webs. The compound, pyrrolidine alkaloid, is known to be a deterrent of ants and moths. This is counter-intuitive, given that moths are a common prey item that get caught in spiders' webs. But the spiders are clever enough to know that the compound isn't very volatile, so it isn't actually detected by the moths until they are aleady caught up in the trap. I'm curious to see where this research goes and what other insects are repelled by this compound. This could lead to a new active ingredient in products such as Off (mosquito repellent) or even a barrier type of pesticide for homes and other structures to keep ants (and possibly other pests) out.

Here's the link.

Rain was nice, but need more

2011-11-28T09:20:00.000-08:00

Although we have recieved over two inches of rainfall in the past week (based on the weather station in Georgetown), we still need a lot more to break this drought. The average rainfall between January and November for Georgetown is just below 35 inches, and with the two inches in that last week, we are only up to just over 9 inches. Hopefully this is an indication that we will have a wet winter, but it would have to be an extremely wet one to get us back up to where we need to be. The good news is that this recent rainfall will help the winter wheat get up and going, so if nothing else, we should have some small grains for grazing, and if we get a few more timely rainfall events and avoid frost damage, winter wheat could be the first decent crop that we have produced all year.

Humans Weren't The Only Ones Displaced By The Bastrop Wildfire

2011-11-16T08:31:00.000-08:00

Here is a link to a story about a new pest issue arising in the wake of the Bastrop wildfires.

Link to the story

No One Wants Bees in Their Home...Until Now

2011-11-16T08:13:00.000-08:00

Photo from Philips

I ran across this interesting concept from Philips and thought it was worth sharing. It is a 'sexy' combination of art, bee conservation, and a source of honey. It consists of an outdoor flower pot connected to an indoor enclosure that prominently displays the bee hive inside. I know that not everyone is as fascinated with insects as I am, but if you loved having an ant farm as a kid, this might just be for you That's because you can easily see through the clear, honey colored dome and observe the bees' activities. I understand that this is only a concept at this point, and I'm not sure how well it would catch on if it did make it to market, but still, it's a pretty sweet idea (pun intended).

Link to website

City of Austin Looks into Honey Bee Conservation

2011-11-10T07:36:00.000-08:00

Photo by Pat Porter

I just ran across a story in the Austin American Statesman that interested me, as an entomologist. In the near future, there may be some new laws that promote relocation, as opposed to destruction, of unwanted bee colonies. The proposed laws would be a step in the right direction to help stablize the honey bee populations, which are declining at an alarming rate in the US. To read the full story, click the link below.

Link to the full story

Crops and Livestock Clinic a Big Hit

2011-11-09T07:47:00.000-08:00

I know that it has been a while since my last post, but I thought this would be a good opportunity to follow up on my last post (promoting the Crops and Livestock Clinic) and brag a little bit about the program. The Clinic by far surpassed our expectations. In planning for the event, our goal was to get an attendance of 75. Well, our RSVP list reached 75 about 2 weeks before the program, and then it kept growing. We ended up with 161 clients attending the event, plus another 20+ sponsors and speakers. The plate count from the caterer was 181, and we learned that farmers sure do like Vencil Mares' barbecue, because they brought enough food to feed 200, and at the end, there was only enough left over to make one more plate. Somehow, the announcement for the Clinic went out far and wide, because of the 161 that signed in, they were from 34 different cities and towns (from Houston to Clifton) and from 11 different counties. We had 147 clients that recieved CEU's, which adds up to 441 total CEU's given. With the new Partial Cost Recovery procedure, we made $1,470 for Texas AgriLife Extension. While this doesn't seem like that much, if every county in Texas had one program a year with this kind of attendance, that would add up to over $373,000 that goes to support our Extension programs and personnel, ensuring the continuation of our quality, timely, and relevant programs.

Blacklands Crops and Livestock Clinic

2011-09-29T06:30:00.000-07:00

The biggest issue affecting farmers and ranchers this year is the drought. With less than 5 inches of rainfall since January and no clear end to this drought in sight, producers will be faced with a number of challenges over the coming months. We have decided to address some of these issues at the Blacklands Crops & Livestock Clinic, which will be held on October 27, 2011. The Clinic will take place at the Taylor SPJST Hall, which is located at 5025 FM 619. Registration will begin at 8:30 AM with the program starting around 8:45. The fee for attending the Clinic will be $15, which can be paid at registration. The registration fee helps pay for lunch and materials. Lunch will be catered by Vincel Mares Barbecue. We will be offering 3 CEU’s for this program, 1 IPM and 2 General. Topics that will be addressed include: Soil Fertility Issues Following the Drought, Weed Management in Drought Affected Pastures and Fields, Remediating Pastures for Forage Following the Drought, Economic Impact and Planning Through the Drought, and the “One Sample Strategy” Program for Aflatoxin Testing. The program will conclude around 2:00 PM. To assure that we have enough food and materials for everyone, we ask that you please RSVP if you are planning to attend the Clinic. You can do this either by calling our office at (512) 943-3300 or by emailing us at williams@ag.tamu.edu .

Bastrop Wildfire Photos

2011-09-08T07:41:00.000-07:00

As everyone is well aware, this year has been one of the worst for wildfires in Texas. Currently, the largest and most devistating is the wildfire in Bastrop, which, so far, has consumed more than 34,000 acres and nearly 1,400 homes. Luckily, the winds finally died down and the fire is currently 30% contained, which means that this fire may be far from over. Like I said, this is a bad year for fires all over the state. The current year-to-date totals are 18,776 fires, 3,621,589 acres, and 4,155 structures lost. Click Here for information from the Texas AgriLife Extension Service on recovering from wildfires.

Click Here for a lot of great photos fron the Austin American Statesman that show the devastation of the Bastrop fire.

Texas Drought Map Video

2011-08-19T13:13:00.000-07:00

This is an interesting (and depressing) video of the timeline that has lead us to the drought that we are currently in. The last 20 or 30 seconds of the video are the most interesting. It shows just how wide spread this disaster really is.

Cotton Scouting Report - August 16

2011-08-16T05:07:00.000-07:00

As I have mentioned before, the cotton in this area has a wide range of maturity levels. Some fields have already been harvested, while others are still many weeks away. Like their maturity, cotton fields in the county appear to range from little or no yield to fields that should yield about average for this area. This cotton season has been atypical in almost every way. I have not encountered any pest problems to speak of, which could be a contributing factor for those fields that have faired pretty well. While many fields are past the point where any pests could cause any damage, some of the later planted cotton could still run into some problems with spider mites or aphids. At this point, aphids are mainly a concern because high populations could result in sticky cotton and a reduction in fiber quality. I am curious to visit with producers at the end of the season to find out how big the range in yields really is.

Interview for KEYE Austin on Mosquitos

2011-07-12T11:40:00.001-07:00

Here is a link to a story that I was interviewed for on KEYE News in Austin.
Click Here to the Story

The story was about how the drought has affected mosquito populations in central Texas this year. They got the basics right, but they cut out a lot of my interview, so I'm going to elaborate here. Mosquitos require standing water to complete their life cycle, whether it's ponds, bird baths, creeks, rivers, containers, or tires that collect water. In the hot central Texas summers, mosquitos take about 5-7 days to go from eggs to adults. There are over 84 documented species of mosquitos in Texas. Another interesting fact is that only female mosquitos are capable of biting you. Although the itchy bites are frustrating, the real concern with mosquitos are the diseases that they can potentially spread. They mentioned a few of these in the story, but left out some others. Mosquitos are vectors for heartworms, West Nile virus, Easter Equine Encephalitis, Dengue and yellow fevers, and malaria. Mosquitos kill roughly a million people every year, mostly due to malaria, which we luckily don't have around here. They also mentioned in the story that mosquitos are the most deadly animal on the planet. This is due to these diseases that they vector. In fact, mosquitos have killed more people than all wars throughout history, combined. The other guy in the video thinks that they aren't getting many complaints about mosquitos because people aren't outside. While there may be some truth to this, the fact is, we just don't have nearly as many breeding sites (standing water) as we would in a normal year, so the mosquito populations that are out there are more localized around the few bodies of standing water that are out there.

Cotton Scouting Report - July 6

2011-07-06T07:22:00.000-07:00

Driving around the county looking at cotton fields, I'm amazed at the wide range of maturity stages of different cotton fields. There are a few fields that were planted earlier (before the rains we got around May 12) that have a pretty good stand, while others are pretty sad looking. Some of those early planted fields are already blooming out the top, and I have to say, there are a hand full that have quite a bit of fruit on them. The vast majority of the cotton in the county was planted shortly after the mid-May rains. Those that established a good stand sort of stalled out in the hot, dry weather and were very slow in their development. Now it appears that they have their tap roots down into a little bit of deep soil moisture, because they have really taken off in the past couple of weeks. A lot of these fields are around match head square to early bloom. That means that it's time to be watching for cotton flea hoppers. The silver lining that comes with the drought that we have been experiencing is that flea hopper numbers are the lowest that I have ever seen or heard of in this area. See, cotton fleahopper populations normally build up on alternate host plants (weeds) in bar ditches and pastures during the spring, and then move into the cotton fields as the cotton plants start squaring. If you have spent any time in Williamson County this spring, you know that the bar ditches and pastures were far from overgorwn with weeds due to the drought. Without their alternate host plants, fleahopper populations just didn't build up like they would in a typical year. In the (roughly) 1000 acres that I am scouting on a weekly basis, I have only seen a handfull of fleahoppers the whole season, with none of the fields coming anywhere close to the action threshold. This lack on pests may account for the early planted fields that are loaded with fruit. As for the later planted cotton, although the plants aren't putting on a whole lot of fruit due to the weather, I am not seeing that many blasted squares resulting from insect pest damage. As far as other pests go, I am really not seeing much. The cotton is all beyond the damage window for thrips. Aphids are soft, squishy insects that tend to desiccate (dry out) easily in the hot, dry weather that we have been experiencing, so I haven't seen any populations that warranted any sort of treatment. My biggest insect pest concern would have to be spider mites, which tend to thrive during droughts, but so far, I haven't run into any problems with them either. I will be out scouting tomorrow morning, so look for another scouting report later this week. Hopefully there won't be any new pest issues to report.

Cicada killer wasps

2011-06-17T15:00:00.000-07:00

Cicada killers are here in full force this year. Normally the calls don't start coming in until July, but in the past 3 days, I have recieved 7 calls from frightened and concerned clients who have large wasps (hornets, bees, scud missiles...I've heard them all) around their homes. Although the descriptions I get are widely variable, it's normally pretty easy to tell what they are describing when they say that they are black and yellow wasps with orange wings and they are about 2 inches long. The descriptions are normally accompanied by words like scary, terrifying, horrible, nasty, evil, etc... Although cicada killers are seen as scary or even evil, the truth is that they are practically harmless. While the female cicada killers are capable of stinging, they aren't agressive and are very unlikely to sting you unless you try to catch one with your bare hands. The males of this species tend to be more agressive (typical territorial male behavior), but they are not equipped with stingers, so their bark is worse than their bite. About the worst thing that they can do is buzz around you and scare you. So, the main reason for writing this blog (besides just being informative) is that hopefully some of my clients who are online looking for someone to call about cicada killers will do a Google search for big scary black and yellow wasps and come across this blog.

These wasps burrow holes in the ground. They prefer bare soil for nesting sites. Even though they are harmless, they tend to be a nuisance because they often find good nesting sites in flower beds near people's front doors. They get the name, cicada killers, because they kill cicadas and bring them back to their burrows to feed their larvae.

Most people are satisfied once I tell them that these wasps are harmless and that they are actually beneficial, but some people are so frightened by them that they just want to get rid of them. The first thing to do is remove good nesting sites by mulching in beds and around trees and shrubs. If you have bare spots in your turf, you need to water and fertilize your lawn to help to promote turf growth that will fill in the bare spots. Although chemical control is not normally recommended, you can use carbaryl dust. You will need to locate the burrows during the day time. Then either at night or just before the sun goes down, sprinkle about a tablespoon of the dust into the burrow and then close the entrance to the burrow with your foot. Repeat this process as you notice more burrows.

Just another day in paradise...

2011-06-07T08:51:00.000-07:00

Well, I've been all over the county in that past couple of days, and needless to say, we need some rain. We had a slight chance of rain on Sunday and Monday, but most of the county didn't get enough to help any of the crops. One area around Hare and Thorndale did recieve a little big more than the rest of the county. I heard reports of up to 3/4 of an inch. While it is too late to do much good for the corn crop, this could really give a boost to the cotton fields that were lucky enough to be under one of these showers. There is a lot of cotton planted, and it is extremely variable in its development stages. There are a handful of fields that are already getting started blooming, which puts those fields about a week to 10 days ahead of the norm. The vast majority of the fields, though, are only at 3-4 true leaves, and very short (only 3 or 4 inches), which puts those fields about a month or more behind what we would typically be seeing right now. The one good thing that I can say about the drought is that we are unlikely to see a major problem with cotton flea hoppers this year. Cotton flea hoppers spend the early part of the year on alternate host plants before migrating into the cotton fields as the become hostable. As you have probably noticed, the ditches and pastures that would normally be filled with these alternate host plants are dry and lifeless, which I am hoping will lead to low flea hopper populations this year.

Williamson County Crops Tour 2011

2011-06-03T08:31:00.000-07:00

The Williamson County Crops Tour is scheduled for Tuesday, June 28. Registration will begin at 9:00 AM at Stiles Farm Foundation in Thrall. The Tour will begin at 9:30 and end at St. Cyril and Methodius Hall in Granger. In Granger, there will be a sponsored lunch and some additional presentations that will last until 2:00 PM. We will be offering 3 CEU’s for this program; 1-IPM, 1-L&R, and 1-General. The registration fee will be $15 on the day of the event.

Topics covered during the Crops Tour will include: the cotton variety trial (Dr. Gaylon Morgan, Cotton Specialist, Texas AgriLife Extension Service), the corn hybrid trial, soil fertility study (Dr. Daren Harmel, Agricultural Engineer, USDA-ARS), Farm Bill updates (George M. Knapek, Extension Economist, Texas AgriLife Extension Service), and cotton root rot control (Dr. Tom Isakeit, Plant Pathology Crops Specialist, Texas AgriLife Extension Service). If you plan to participate in the Crops Tour, we ask that you RSVP by calling our office at (512) 943-3300 or emailing us at williamson@ag.tamu.edu .

Educational programs of the Texas AgriLife Extension Service are open to all people without regard to race, color, sex, disability, religion, age, or national origin.

Video on drought conditions in Williamson County

2011-05-18T14:02:00.000-07:00

Do Not Touch!

2011-05-17T12:47:00.001-07:00

This is a buck moth caterpillar and they DO STING! If you happen to have an encounter with one of these guys, the first thing to do is place a piece of duct tape over the sting and rip it off. This will help to remove any poisonous barbs that may have broken off. Then, apply meat tenderizer to the area. As strange as it sounds, it does help. It will denature the poisonous protiens that are causing the skin irritation.

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Scanning Electron Microscope Images

2011-04-20T09:10:00.000-07:00

Below is a link to a blog on wired.com that has some amazing images of insects and other arthropods under a scanning electron microscope. It's crazy to realize just how intricate these little critters are that we see every day. This page is definitely worth checking out.

Link

False Blister Beetle Infestation

2011-04-14T17:00:00.000-07:00

So, yesterday morning when I was watering my garden, I found some beetles on my roses that I hadn't seen before. Of course I caught a few in a vial and brought them back to my office to ID. Turns out they are false blister beetles. They get their name because they have a toxic compound that will cause blisters on your skin if you smash one or slap one that gets on you. They get the 'false' in their name because there is another family of beetles that have this compound and go by the name 'blister beetles'. Entomologists tend to be real sticklers when it comes to naming insects. Anyways, this toxic compound is called cantharidin, which, interestingly enough, is the chemical that is in the aphrodisiac 'spanish fly'. I won't go into detail about how it works as an aphrodisiac, but when ingested, cantharidin is later excreted in the urine....resulting in localized inflamation.

One thing that I find interesting is that these beetles are practically covering my yellow rose bush, while completely avoiding the pink rose bush not 4 feet away. I guess yellow rose pollen is more attractive than pink rose pollen (since false blister beetles are pollen feeders).

When I got home yesterday afternoon, I decided to see if I could get any good pictures of these beetles that seem to love my roses. So, here a a couple of pictures that turned out alright, considering the subjects are only about 7 mm long and it was a windy day.

Cotton Scouting Program

2011-03-29T08:26:00.000-07:00

From visiting with seed reps and folks around the county, it sounds like we are likely to have at least 3 times the number of cotton acres this year compared to the past 2 or 3 years. This is most likely the result of the record-setting high cotton prices that we saw last year. From what I understand, the price of cotton is likely to remain higher than normal for at least two more years. With such a dramatic increase in cotton acres this year, I am making it a priority to get my scouting program up and running. For those who have not participated in the scouting program in the past, I will scout your field(s) either once or twice each week, as per our agreement. Each time your field is scouted, I will provide a field scouting report to help you better manage any insect pests that might show up. I will be charging $6 per acre to scout once a week and $10 per acre for twice a week. I am unaffiliated with any chemical company or provider, so this removes any potential for biased scouting. If you are interested in participating in the scouting program, please contact me via phone or email. My contact information can be found on the right side of this blog.

2010 Cotton Variety Trial Results

2011-03-08T06:45:00.000-08:00

One of the most important management decisions that a cotton grower will make is variety selection. Although most producers have already selected their varieties and purchased seed, I thought that I would bring up the results from last year’s Williamson County Cotton Variety Trial. It is worth noting that there were no significant differences in lint yield or lint value for any of the varieties tested. This link will bring you to the summary for all of the cotton vaiety trials done in the South, East, and Central regions of Texas. If you scroll down to Tables 18 and 19, you can see the results for that Williamson and Milam County Trials. If you would like to see how these and other varieties have performed in the past, or if you want to check out the results for other crops, you can check out the Extension Crop Testing website at http://croptesting.tamu.edu .

AgriLife Partial Cost Recovery

2011-03-04T13:15:00.000-08:00

As of March 1, 2011, the Texas AgriLife Extension Service has initiated a new policy regarding partial cost recovery. Due to the economy and the current funding situation, our agency is taking the initiative to lessen the impact of the decreased funding in order to reinforce and stabilize our full program delivery network.

So, what does this mean for our clients? For every participant at our educational group meetings (crops tours, field days, etc.), we are required to send $10 back to the Extension Service. This means that we will have to add $10 to the registration fees that you would normally pay. I hope that this will not deter anyone from attending our programs, as the information that we provide can be far more valuable than this nominal fee increase.

Blackland Crops Clinic Announcement

2010-10-13T11:18:00.001-07:00

The Blackland Crops Clinic will be held on October 29 at the Taylor Public Library meeting room. Registration will begin at 9:00 and the program will start at 9:30 and last through 2:00. There will be a catered meal and we will be charging a $5 registration fee to help with those costs. We will be offering 3 CEU’s for this event.
The program will begin with Dr. Gaylon Morgan, our Extension Cotton Specialist, who will be talking about our cotton variety trial results, stalk destruction, and new varieties and technology. Following Dr. Morgan will be Dr. Jim Cathey, Extension Wildlife Specialist, who will discuss feral hogs and the best management practices for controlling them. Next on the agenda is Dr. Tom Isakeit, Extension Specialist in Plant Pathology, and he will be talking about a major problem that we had this year, aflatoxin in corn. Dr. Isakeit will also be giving us an update on his work on controlling cotton root rot. Last on the program will be Dr. Paul Baumann, Extension Weed Specialist, who will talk about weed control, herbicide resistance management, and herbicide tolerant sorghum varieties.

We ask that you RSVP if you plan to attend. You can do so by calling 512-943-3300, or emailing alrichey@ag.tamu.edu.

Top 10 Android Apps for Farmers

2010-09-09T12:02:00.000-07:00

I ran across this blog the other day and I thought it was worth sharing. It has a list of 10 apps for Android phones that could be particularly useful for farmers and ranchers.
The list includes:
-Remember the Milk - basically a 'to do' list that has a nice and easy layout.
-Evernote - an app for taking notes on your phone with some cool features.
-Bubble - turns your phone into a handy little bubble bar.
-Target Date - simply calculates the nubmer of days between two dates, like planting date to harvest date, or what day will it be 100 days from today.
-Ultra Chron - a stopwatch/countdown timer for your phone. could be useful in calibrating sprayers.
-Weather Bug Widget - puts local weather info on your home screen, such as current conditions and forcasts.
-Calendar Pad - just a basic calendar, but with a much better format than the calendar that comes with Android.
-Real Calc - turns your phone into a full function scientific calculator.
-GPS Measure - take measurements using your phone's built in GPS.
-My Maps Editor by Google - lets you access your saved maps in Google Maps from your phone.

Here is the link to the blog that I got this list from. It has a much better description of each app and how to find them.

Top 10 Android Apps For Farmers

San Gabriel River Flooding in Williamson County

2010-09-09T08:44:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I had the opportunity to drive around and look at some of the aftermath of tropical storm Hermine here in Williamson County and I thought I would share a few photos that I took. The first photos are of the Shady River RV Resort on Highway 29, just East of Georgetown. The RV park was completely under water and many of the campers and trailers were washed up into the trees. The last photo is of the bridge where FM 1660 crosses the San Gabriel River. This was shortly after the water had subsided a little bit, but you can tell from the photo that the water was over the bridge at one time.

These buggers chose the wrong yard

2010-09-05T11:18:00.001-07:00

So, I'm so proud of Sarah, my wife, because she was the one who realized that our yard has an infestation. Well, these chinch bugs chose poorly, because they are not welcome here.

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Where does corn come from?

2010-08-24T13:39:00.000-07:00

This idea for this post came to me today as I was hand shelling some corn for a trial that I did. There are a few things that most people don't realize about corn, or what we think of as today's modern corn. These days, people seem to disassociate their food with where it came from. Corn, AKA maize, has been called the gift of the American Indians to the world. This is because without human intervention, corn as we know it could not exist. In fact, it would be extinct in just a few generations if it weren't cultivated by humans. The American Indians were some of the earliest plant breeders, because over many many generations, they selected plants that had traits that were well suited to fit their needs. Corn probably started out as a grass with small loose seed heads that would "shatter" or drop their seeds individually as the plant matured and dried out. This "pod corn" had small, hard, stony seeds. Over time, the American Indians continually selected plants that had bigger, softer, starchier kernels and larger, tighter seed heads that would not shatter, which made harvesting the grain easier. Eventually, they ended up with something that resembles the ears of corn that we know and love. In this process, the corn plants became dependent on humans to cultivate them because without the ability to shatter, corn has no way of dispersing its seeds and propagating itself. So, we owe thanks to the American Indians for this modern staple food that we all know and love.

Most people also don't realize that there are 5 different "types" of corn, each with different characteristics that serve a specific purpose.
1) Dent corn has a hard endosperm (the stuff inside the kernel) around the sides and soft floury endosperm in the middle. As the kernels dry down, the middle caves in, leaving a dent in the middle of each kernel. This type of corn dominates U.S. production.
2) Flint corn has very hard kernels that are round and smooth. Almost none of this type of corn is produced in the U.S.
3) Floury corn has very soft endosperm. This was the corn of the Aztecs and Incas, and is still grown today in the Andean region of South America, but very rarely grown in the United States.
4) Pop corn is much like flint corn, with small kernels with hard, rounded tops. You may have enjoyed this specialty crop with butter and salt the last time you went to a movie theater.
5) Sweet corn is just that...sweet. It has a gene that prevents it from converting sugar to starch like the rest of the types of corn. This type of corn is the kind that is sold canned, frozen, or on the cob.

The "silks" that protrude from the end of an ear of corn are there to pick up pollen to allow for pollination of the kernels.

There are always an even number of rows of grain on an ear of corn.

I hope that I have enlightened you on the subject of corn, so now you can impress your family and friends next time you are grilling some corn.

Finally!

2010-08-16T12:49:00.001-07:00

I am finally harvesting the last of 8 Aflaguard trials that I had this year. I am so glad that I thought it was worth sharing. I'll post the results as soon as I get them back.

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Do you have a weak stomach?

2010-08-12T10:32:00.000-07:00

Being a 'bug man', people think that they have to share their crazy and gross insect stories with me. Some of them I enjoy, and many of them I am able to tell them an even crazier or more disgusting story. In this case, I enjoyed the story (especially since it comes with a video) and I shared it with all of the General Entomology labs that I taught back at Texas A&M. So, a while back, I was talking to my wife's aunt and she was telling me about a guy she knows who was on a research trip in Panama and he got parasitized by bot flies, which infect their host via an intermediate vector. They lay their eggs on the wings of mosquitos, which then feed on humans and other mammals. As the mosquito is feeding on the mammal, the bot fly larvae are stimulated by the host's body heat and crawl onto the mammal and then burrow into the host's skin. As I mentioned earlier, this story was accompanied by a YouTube video. WARNING!!! This video is not for the squeemish.

Fortunately, we do not have this species of bot fly in Texas, but if you are ever in Mexico or Central America, don't forget the mosquito repellant!

Pecan weevil traps

2010-08-11T08:33:00.001-07:00

Bill Ree did an excelent job of explaining the different traps for both monitoring and controlling pecan weevils in orchards and for homeowners. He also demonstrated a stink bug trap (the yellow one on the far right).

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Bob on his soap box

2010-08-11T08:08:00.001-07:00

We are out at Berry Springs Park for a pecan field day.

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Out in the field today

2010-08-10T13:09:00.001-07:00

Harvesting Aflaguard trials

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Williamson County Crops Tour

2010-06-25T12:05:00.000-07:00

On Tuesday, June 29th, we will be hosting the 2010 Williamson County Crops Tour. Registration will begin at 9:00 AM in Hutto where the old Wag-A-Bag convenience store was located. This is on Hwy 79 right beside the new Wag-A-Bag store. The Tour will begin at 9:30 and we will be making two stops before heading to Taylor City Hall for the rest of the program and the catered meal. The program will conclude around 1:30. We will be offering 2 general CEU’s and we will be charging $5 to help with the cost of the meal.

The first stop on the Tour will be the Williamson County Corn Plots, where we have a strip trial with 22 corn varieties. At the Corn Plots, participating seed dealers and reps will have an opportunity to tell you about the varieties that they have in the trial. From there, we will be going to the Cotton Variety Trial, where Dr. Gaylon Morgan, Texas AgriLife Extension Cotton Specialist, will discuss the details of the trial. After that, we will head to Taylor City Hall to listen to Dr. Rick Haney, Soil Scientist with USDA-ARS, talk about soil testing and soil fertility. Following Dr. Haney’s presentation, we will have a sponsored meal catered by Captain Red. After lunch, we will have Dr. Rob Duncan, Texas AgriLife Extension Small Grains Specialist, talk about the results from this year’s Small Grains Trial, alternative crops, and biodiesel production. Then we will conclude the meeting and we will have a biodiesel production demonstration set up in the parking lot for you to visit and ask questions.

White Grubs in Texas Turfgrass

2010-05-24T13:55:00.000-07:00

It's coming up on time to make applications for white grubs in your lawns. Here is a link to our fact sheet on this pest.

White Grubs in Texas Turfgrass

World's longest insect migration

2010-05-14T09:30:00.000-07:00

Here in Texas we are familiar with the monarch butterfly, which, until recently, was thought to be the insect that migrates the longest distance (all the way from Canada, where they roost in the fall, down to central Mexico, where they overwinter). But recently, a fairly common insect, the Globe Skimmer (a dragonfly), was found to make a yearly migration that is about twice the distance traveled by Monarchs. Here is a TED presentation given by the man who made this discovery.

Small Grains Tour

2010-04-15T13:10:00.000-07:00

We will be having the Williamson County Small Grains Tour on this coming Monday, April 19. The tour will last from 10 AM to noon at Stiles Farm. Registration will begin at 9:30 at the Stiles Farm office. From there, we will drive out to the small grains variety trial located off of hwy 79, just East of Thrall. Our new Small Grains Specialist, Rob Duncan will discuss the variety trial as well as a herbicide trial that he is conducting in the same location. Also, our Extension Plant Pathologist, Tom Isakeit will be talking about disease management in wheat. We will be offering 2 CEU's, 1 general and 1 IPM. Since there is not a catered meal, we will not be charging a registration fee.

Williamson County's Most UN-Wanted

2009-11-10T12:15:00.000-08:00

The same characteristics that make insects one of the most successful groups of life forms on Earth also give us entomologists something to constantly worry about. I am speaking, of course, about invasive species. Many of our most notorious pests are invasives, such as boll weevils, cotton aphids, Africanized honey bees (killer bees), silverleafe whiteflies, white grubs, and of course, the bane of Williamson County (and many southern states), red imported fire ants, to name a few. Since invasive species, by definition, are pests with great potential to spread to and establish populations over areas outside their native range, we must always be vigilant in areas where they have not reached yet. For this reason, I am puting the word out about a few key invasive species of insects and asking that if you come across any of these pests in Williamson County, please let me know (my contact information is on the right side of the main page). The first two pests are the Rasberry Crazy Ant and the Formosan Termite. I will be posting more in the near future.

Rasberry Crazy Ants
-discovered in 2002 in Pasadena, TX
-now found in 14 counties in Texas, so far
-not here yet
-recently found in San Antonio
-do not sting
-huge populations
-dificult to control
-likely to be moved to more locations via infested potted nursery plants
-more information - Rasberry Crazy Ants

Formosan Termites
-identified in 30 counties in Texas, but probably in many more
-found in Travis County (Austin), so they are knocking at our back door
-suspected to be transported in landscape timbers
-can cause 4 times the damage of native termites
-attack dead wood AND live, stressed trees (particularly pecan trees!)
-swarm in May, June, and July
-swarm at night/attracted to lights
-light color, see through wings, soldiers have tear-drop shaped heads (not rectangular), soldiers are agressive and will latch onto your finger (painlessly), mandibles (pinchers or jaws) do not have teeth
-more information - Formosan Termites

Blackland Crops Clinic Announcement

2009-10-26T12:36:00.000-07:00

With the cost of producing the usual crops in this area on the rise, many producers are looking for other options. With this in mind, the Williamson County Extension Crop Management Committee has planned a Crops Clinic that will address the typical crop issues such as fertility and fertilizer prices, commodity market updates, weed control technology, and a new product for the management of aflatoxin in corn. Although these common issues will be covered, the main focus of the Crops Clinic will be alternative crops that will give producers more options. Speakers at the Blackland Crops Clinic will discuss potential alternative crops as well as share new technologies that may reduce input costs and increase profit on crops that are already grown in Williamson County.

The Blackland Crops Clinic will be held on Thursday, October 29, 2009 at the Taylor City Hall, located at the corner of E. 4th Street and Porter Street in Taylor, Texas. Registration will begin at 8:00 am and the program will start at 8:30 and continue through a sponsored lunch. The cost of the program will be $5, which you can pay on site. Two CEU credits will be offered for this morning program. To preregister for the Blackland Crops Clinic, please call the Williamson County Extension office at (512)943-3300 or email at williams@ag.tamu.edu.

Individuals with disabilities who require auxiliary aid, services, or special accommodations in order to participate in this event are encouraged to contact the Extension office at (512)943-3300 on or before Thursday, October 22 to determine how reasonable accommodations can be made.

Bird's Nest Fungus

2009-10-09T11:01:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, a lady brought in a branch from a plant in her garden along with these "things" that she found below the plant. The plant was covered in these small black disks, and she was concerned about her plant. If it weren't for the odd looking "things" she found below the plant, my first guess as to what the black disks were would be some sort of scale insect. But after seeing these cup shaped "things" that were full of these black disks, it was pretty clear that it was some sort of mushroom, alrough, one that I had never seen before. After a little research, I found that they were infact a type of mushroom, called "bird's nest fungi". Although it wasn't an insect problem, I though this mushroom was pretty cool and my pictures turned out well, so I decided to blog about it.

The mushroom is in the shape of a splash cup, which has about 5 or 6 of these small black disks inside. These disks are the mushroom's means for dispersing it's spores, which I believe are contained inside the disks. When a raindrop falls into one of these splash cups, these disks are thrown up to a meter away, where each has a long sticky 'tail' that makes the disk stick to plants, or walls, or whatever else it lands on.

The woman was glad to hear it when i reassured her that these "things" were not hurting her plants at all. In fact, since the mushrooms break down decaying wood and other organic matter in her garden, they are actually beneficial to her plants.

Do you have Unwanted Pesticides?

2009-09-14T10:01:00.000-07:00

On Monday, October 26, we will be helping the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) host a pesticide collection event at Williamson County Grain in Taylor. The event will last from 8 in the morning to 1 in the afternoon. This is a great opportunity for you to clean out your garage, barn, or shed and dispose of all kinds of agricultural chemicals and other products that require special disposal. We will be accepting:
-Pesticides (herbicides, insecticides, rungicides rodenticides, nematicides, batericides)
-Growth regulators
-Harvest aid chemicals
-Properly rinsed, empty plastic pesticide containers
-Oil/oil filters/grease
-Gasoline/diesel fuel
-Transmission fluid
-Brake fluid
-Power steering fluid
-Anti-freeze
-Lead-acid batteries
-Paint
-Fluorescent bulbs

This collection service is provided free of charge.

For more information or information on how to safely transport and handle waste materials, call TCEQ at 512-239-3143 or visit: www.tceq.state.tx.us/assistance/agwaste/agwaste.html

Pesticide CEU Training

2009-09-14T09:57:00.000-07:00

If you are in need of CEU's for your pesticide licence, we will be holding a pesticide training event on Tuesday, September 22 here at the Williamson County Extension Office, in the training room. It will start at 6:00 PM and last until 8:00. The cost will be $10 and 2 CEU's will be offered in Laws and Regulations.

La Quinta Inn Discount

2009-09-14T09:48:00.000-07:00

This is just a quick post to put the word out there that the Texas 4H program has a deal with La Quinta that allows friends and family of our 4H program to get a 15% discount on rooms. All you have to do is use the promotional code "TX4H" if you are booking rooms online, or ask for the "TX4H Youth Discount" when you book rooms on site or over the phone. And the best part is, when you use this discount code, a portion of the money goes to support the Texas 4H program.

CEU Opportunities Coming Up

2009-08-10T08:07:00.000-07:00

Just a little reminder for those who need CEU credits, we have two events this month where we will be offering 2 CEU's each.
First, this wednesday (Aug. 12) we will be holding a Late Season Pecan Management Field Day at Berry Springs Park in Georgetown. The park is located at 1801 C.R. 152, just North of Georgetown. Registration will be from 9:30-10:00 and the field day will last until noon. The cost will be $5 to attend the meeting.

Next, on August 21, we will be holding a Small Grains Clinic at the Fireman's Hall in Thorndale. Again, we will be offering 2 CEU's and the event will last from 9:00 to lunch.

News 8 Story on Drought

2009-08-10T07:55:00.000-07:00

Here is the link to a story that News 8 Austin did on the drought in Williamson County.

Link to video

PS. This is my TV debut as an Extension Agent.

USE AT YOUR OWN RISK: DEET

2009-08-06T07:53:00.000-07:00

New research suggests that one of the most widely used active ingredients, DEET, in insect repellants may be neurotoxic to humans. Until now, DEET was thought to be no more than a behavior-modifying chemical, but a recent study shows that it also inhibits the activity of acetycholinesterase, a key component of mamalian nervous systems. Researchers say that further investigations are urgently needed to confirm or dismiss these new claims.
I don't think that you should go and throw away all of your cans of insect repellant, since DEET does an excellent job of protecting you from annoying mosquito bites and the potentially deadly diseases that they can vector. Also, if these claims prove to be true, the neurotoxic effects that the chemical may have will likely be short-lived and cause no permanent damage, unlike other chemicals with carcenogenic or mutagenic side effects.

Cotton Harvest Aid Evaluation

2009-07-30T10:07:00.000-07:00

On Tuesday (July 28) we started a cotton harvest aid trial on Herbert Raesz's field on County Road 134. The cotton was about 55-60% open at the time of application. The treatments consist of several different rates and combinations of the following products: Dropp SC, Prep, Def, Ginstar, Crop Oil Concentrate (COC), Finish 6 Pro, Aim, NIS, Gramoxone Inteon, and ET. Feel free to go by the field and judge for yourself how each treatment is doing. You can already see some activity in some of the treatments, but next week some differences should really show up. Either tomorrow or early next week I will put signs by each treatment, but if you can email me and I will send you a file with all of the treatments listed. Later, I will be posting my comments and evaluations for each treatment.

Glowing Corn!

2009-07-22T06:23:00.000-07:00

We finally got our Aflaguard study harvested and I took some samples from each plot. Now I am just waiting on the aflatoxin analysis on the samples; I should have the results early next week. But in the meantime, I took a look at one of the samples under a black light. Below is a picture of what I saw. You can distinctly see the kernels that are fluorescing (glowing greenish-yellow). Generally, this is a good indication of the presence of aflatoxin...BUT, since it is not the aflatoxin itself that is glowing (it's actually another chemical produced by Aspergillus flavus that is reacting with chemicals in the plant), I don't know for sure whether or not the non toxin producing strain of A. flavus (Aflaguard) also produces these glowing kernels. So, even though it's kind of interesting to see these glowing kernels, this isn't a reliable way of testing for aflatoxin. I will post the final results from the trial soon.

Corn Ear Mold Identification

2009-07-17T10:04:00.000-07:00

Last week we went out to hand-harvest some corn ears from our Aflaguard study that was the topic of a previous post. As soon as we get all of the lab work done on the samples, I will post the results here. But thats not the reason for this post. While we were out there, we came across a variety of different corn ear rots. The picture below should help identify which kind of mold is in your ears (of corn, that is). From left to right, first is Aspergillus niger, which appears as a black, sooty looking mold on corn. Next is Penicillium, which has a bluish gray dusty appearance. On the right is the infamous Aspergillus flavus, which is the causal agent of aflatoxin. It appears as a sort of olive green, dusty looking mold on the kernels. Directly above the A. flavus is another fungus with a white appearance. This COULD be Fusarium, but there are other fungi that present themselves in this manner as well.
Well, I hope this was helpful, and be sure to check back for the results from this Aflaguard trial.

New Weather Station

2009-07-17T09:35:00.000-07:00

We have a new weather station at the Williamson County Extension Office in Georgetown. This new addition will serve as a valuable tool for us in Extension and also for farmers and homeowners in the area. An even more valuable tool is the website texaset.tamu.edu , which collects data from this weather station and other stations across the state. By selecting Williamson County on the map and then clicking on Georgetown, the site will give you daily evapotranspiration (inches of water lost from evaporation from the soil and from transpiration from plants), daily maximum and minimum temperatures, relative humidity, solar radiation, rainfall, and wind speeds at 4 am and 4 pm. The website also includes handy tools for calculating irrigation requirements for home lawns, turf and landscapes, and for crops. With each tool, you enter a few factors such as sunlight exposure, turfgrass type, type of crop, etc... and it will give you the water requirements and then you can enter information about your sprinkler system (watering rate in inches/hr) and it will calculate how long and how many times per week to run your sprinkler system.

The website also provides several useful links to other weather, hydrological, and irrigation websites. Again, the website is texaset.tamu.edu

Slightly Off Topic: Insect Makes National Headlines

2009-06-19T11:54:00.000-07:00

Thats right, a fly made it into newspapers nation wide and on every major TV network when President Obama swatted it during an interview. My only comment: Why is this news?

Sorghum Midge Status

2009-06-11T07:11:00.000-07:00

It's time, once again, to be aware of the infamous sorghum midge. Adult sorghum midges are small orange-red flies with yellow heads, grey wings, and brown antennae and legs. They only spend a single day in the adult stage of life, in which they lay their eggs wich will hatch in 2-3 days. They complege a full generation in 14-16 days under favorable conditions. Since sorghum midges overwinter in johnsongrass, fields with a lot of johnsongrass nearby would be the first place you would expect to see them during the season. They are only able to damage sorghum when it is flowering, which can last 7-9 days for a single head and up to 3 or 4 weeks for an entire field. Since early infestations rarely reach damaging levels, the early-maturing sorghum fields that are developing uniformly are at less risk than those fields that were planted later, have delayed development, and/or are highly non-uniform in their head development.

In this area, sorghum that has finnished flowering or has almost finnished flowering on about the 20th of June should be at relatively low risk for midge damage. Those fields that are flowering beyond this date should be checked almost daily for midge until flowering is complete. Flowering heads should be checked mid-morning by taking a close look at the heads to find adult midges on them. Another sampling method is to shake a flowering head inside a white bucket or other container and look for midges that fall off. Whatever method you use, the plants should be approached with care, so as to not disturb any midges present. Since they are poor fliers, field edges should be checked first, and then, if more than one midge per flowering head is found, the rest of the field should be checked. To get an accurate estimate of midge population, at least 20 flowering heads should be sampled across 20 acres of field.

Over the past several days, I have looked at several fields in the area and have found very few midges, but as June 20th approaches, we can expect to see an increasing abundance of sorhum midge.

Below is a list of suggested pesticides for controling this pest.
>Chloropyrifos (Lorsban 4E) - 8 oz
>Cyfluthrin (Baythroid 2E) - 1.0-1.3 oz
>Cyhalothrin (Karate 1E, Warrior 1E) - 1.92-2.56 oz
>Esfenvalerate (Asana XL) - 2.9-5.8 fl oz
>Malathion (Fyanon ULV) - 8-12 oz
>Methomyl (Lannate 2.4LV @12-24 oz or 90WSP @4-8 oz
>Zeta-cypermethrin (Mustang Max) - 1.28-4.0 fl oz

Managing Cotton Insects in the Southern Blacklands

2009-06-01T08:40:00.000-07:00

Here are a couple of useful references for managing cotton insects in this area.

Managing Cotton Insects

Suggested Pesticides for Managing Cotton Insects

Afla-gard trial

2009-05-28T07:38:00.000-07:00

Last week we put in a trial of the new product, Afla-gard. If you are unfamiliar with this product, it is intended to reduce the amount of aflatoxin in corn. Aflatoxin is produced by the fungal pathogen, Aspergillus flavus (hence, a-fla-toxin). There are many strains of this fungus though, some of which are bad and produce aflatoxins, while others don't cause any harm because they don't produce the toxins. Afla-gard, the new product, is actually sterilized barley grains that have been infected with one of these good strains of the fungus. The concept is that the good fungus will out-compete the bad fungus, which will result in decreased aflatoxin in your corn.
The trial that we just put out tests the efficacy of the product at the recommended rate of 20 lb/acre and also at a 10 lb/acre rate, which would make using this product more economically justified for corn growers in this area. If you haven't guessed already from the picture, Afla-gard requires an aerial application.

Links

2009-05-13T13:05:00.000-07:00

Below is the link to the TDA Non-commercial cotton information sheet

Non-Commercial Cotton - TDA Information Sheet.pdf

Below is the link to the 2009 preliminary cotton acreage survey for this year's scouting program

Preliminary Sign Up for 2009 Cotton Scouting.pdf