IFAS News
Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences – University of Florida
Archive for November, 2004
Swarms Of Fruit Flies Feast On Rotting Citrus Blown Off Trees By Florida Hurricanes
November 16, 2004
Topic(s): Uncategorized
By:
Chuck Woods (352) 392-1773 x 281Source(s):
Dan Culbert dfculbert@ifas.ufl.edu, (863) 763-6469
Phil Koehler pgk@ifas.ufl.edu, (352) 392-2484
Roxanne Rutledge-Connelly crr@ifas.ufl.edu (772) 778-7200 ext. 158
OKEECHOBEE, Fla.—Add another annoyance to the list of hurricane-related problems plaguing residents in some South Florida counties: swarms of fruit flies feeding on rotting fruit knocked off trees by the storms.
The fruit flies — also known as vinegar flies because they are attracted to yeast on rotting fruit — are finding their way into homes through damaged screens or by hitchhiking their way into kitchens or pantries in shopping bags that contain fruits or vegetables, University of Florida entomologists say. (more…)
University Of Florida /IFAS Aquaculture Demonstration Project Celebrates First Shrimp Harvest In Fort Pierce
November 15, 2004
Topic(s): Uncategorized
Source(s):
Brian Scully scully@ifas.ufl.edu, (772) 468-3922 ext. 112
LeRoy Creswell lcreswell@ifas.ufl.edu, (772) 462-1660
Ferdinand Wirth ffwirth@ifas.ufl.edu, (772) 468-3922 ext. 111
FORT PIERCE, Fla.—To celebrate the first harvest of shrimp at the University of Florida’s new Aquaculture Demonstration Project in Fort Pierce, researchers and industry officials will gather at St. Lucie County extension offices Monday (Nov. 15) at 2 p.m. for an open house event and shrimp boil.
The shrimp farming demonstration project, conducted by research and extension faculty at UF’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, was spearheaded by Frank “Sonny” Williamson, a longtime Okeechobee County citrus grower and cattleman. (more…)
Seminole County Inmates Raise “Beneficial Bugs” For UF And USDA Researchers
November 9, 2004
Topic(s): Uncategorized
By:
Chuck Woods (352) 392-1773 x 281Source(s):
Lance Osborne LSOsborne@ifas.ufl.edu, (407) 884-2034 ext. 163
Debra Taylor dtaylor@seminolesheriff.org, (407) 665-6694 ext. 1329
SANFORD, Fla.—Inmates at the Seminole County Correctional Facility, who have been growing their own vegetables for more than 10 years, are now raising thousands of beneficial bugs that attack insect pests and feed on troublesome weeds in Florida.
The insect “farming” program — the first of its kind in the nation — will generate about $2,000 a year for the inmate welfare fund at the facility and help inmates develop marketable skills for future employment. (more…)
Arsenic And Old Vats: UF Researchers Uncover Hidden Contamination Sites
November 9, 2004
Topic(s): Uncategorized
Source(s):
Bill Todd btodd@ufl.edu, (352) 392-1864 ext. 215
Wayne Mishoe wmishoe@ufl.edu, (352) 392-1864 ext. 115
Zoe Kulakowski zoe.kulakowski@dep.state.fl.us, (850) 245-8927
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — It may be the nation’s biggest toxic mystery.
In the first half of the 20th century, farmers across the Sun Belt states dug thousands of pits in which they regularly dipped their cattle in arsenic-laden pesticide to kill ticks that carry a dreaded cattle disease. Still contaminated with the cancer-causing metal, those pits now pose a threat to drinking water supplies, environmental officials say — but most of the pits are abandoned, their locations forgotten. (more…)
Florida Dairy Industry Rebuilds After $50 Million In Hurricane Losses
November 3, 2004
Topic(s): Uncategorized
Source(s):
Pat Miller opmiller@ifas.ufl.edu, (863) 763-6469
Calvin Covington ccovington@southeastmilk.org, (800) 598-7866
Bob Rydzewski (863) 763-4673 ext. 106
Red Larson ldi@okeechobee.com, (863) 467-2841
OKEECHOBEE, Fla.—With some farms still covered by piles of debris after the worst hurricane season in a century, it will probably be close to two years before things are “back to normal” for Florida’s dairy industry, a University of Florida extension agent says.
Pat Miller, Okeechobee County extension director with UF’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, said damage to the dairy industry his county — the largest milk-producing county in the U.S. Southeast — exceeded $5.25 million in lost production. Total statewide losses topped $50 million. (more…)
