Upcoming Seminar: What's Eating My Plants?

Green Thumb Series: What's Eating My Plants

Thursday, June 13, 2013, 10am-12pm

Travis County AgriLife Extension Office

1600 B Smith Rd., Austin TX  78721

Yikes!  What is eating my plant?  Wizzie Brown, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service entomologist, will teach you detective skills needed for correctly identifying insects.  Knowing exactly who are the “good bugs” and the “bad bugs” is important because the majority of insects are not “bad”!

Armed with knowledge of insect mouthparts and biology, you can figure out what may be causing damage to plants even when there is not an insect in sight.  Think about what kind of mouth part could have done the damage?  Are there holes in the plant?  Are the holes small or are entire leaves eaten?  Does the plant have yellowing and curling on the foliage?   Knowing the types of damage insects can cause to plants can help reveal what pest you are dealing with and help to make management decision.  Identification of common insects will also be covered along with integrated pest management practices to help reduce pesticide use.  Integrated pest management programs start with non-chemical approaches first and while chemicals are included in the program, they are a last resort strategy.

This class is part of The Green Thumb series.  Must register at: https://agriliferegister.tamu.edu or by phone 979-845-2604.  Keyword Search: Green Thumb.  Cost is $15.  This seminar is presented by the Travis County Master Gardeners, a volunteer arm of the Texas A&M AgrlLife Extension Service in Travis County. www.tcmastergardeners.org. For more information call (512) 854-9600.