Stonefruit

Dormant Season Insects

Peaches are one of the most nutritious foods available and once were an important crop in Florida. They still have much potential as a crop but are attacked by many arthropod and disease pests. Currently, projects are looking at several aspects of the biology, behavior and management of peach insects including plum curculio and stink bugs. With colleagues in Georgia and the USDA, ARS, the use of nematodes as biological control agents of plum curculio and the peachtree borers is being investigated.

Presenters

Bob Hochmuth is a multi-county Extension agent at the NFREC - Suwannee Valley working in the areas of small farms, commercial vegetables, and protected culture. His specialties include alternative crops, hydroponics, plastic mulch, and drip irrigation technology. Bob was raised on a commercial vegetable farm and has been an Extension agent since 1982.

Russ Mizell is a Professor of Entomology with the University of Florida's Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences and is located at NFREC-Quincy. Dr. Mizell has research and extension responsibilities for deciduous fruits, pecan, and woody landscape plants with focus on the development of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) systems. He has authored or coauthored around 300 publications concerned with IPM programs including pest biology, biological and chemical control, host plant resistance, population dynamics and insect-plant-disease interactions.

This page was last updated on April 27, 2012.