A honey bee on the MBP apiary sign

Successful 2021 Tennessee Master Beekeeping Students Receive Apiary Sign

Extension, News, Tsuruda NewsLeave a comment

    After several delays and supply issues (thank you for your patience!), the Master Beekeeping Program has sent out the first-ever MBP apiary signs to participants who successfully completed the 2021 class. If you earned your certificate, keep your eyes peeled. Those who did not earn a certificate were sent a copy of Beekeeping in TN and should keep their eyes peeled, too! Please note we are planning in-person classes for 2022 and are working with county Extension personnel to coordinate dates and locations. Until then, please hang tight and fill out the Interest Form on our website (tiny.utk.edu/apiculture) so we will know where there is interest and who to contact once the schedule is finalized. Do not be

Portrait of Laurie Barley

Laurie Barley Awarded the UTIA Extension “Award of Excellence”

Blog, Extension, Hensley NewsLeave a comment

  Laurie Barley has been awarded the prestigious UTIA Extension non-exempt “Award of Excellence” that goes to an outstanding non-exempt employee who has gone “beyond the call of duty.” Laurie was instrumental in contributing to, and continuing, the educational and testing program of our state-wide Pesticide Safety and Education Program (PSEP) during the last 18 months. During this time, testing and recertification continued even as Covid-19 threatened to close them. This award recognizes her contributions to the attainment of the objectives of Extension:  including leadership, initiative, reliability, cooperativeness, personality, professionalism, communications, competence, planning and implementation. Please join us in CONGRATULATING Laurie on this outstanding recognition!    

Fall Armyworm

Scientists Discuss the Fall Armyworm Invasion

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  In The Conversation, entomology professor, Dr. Scott Stewart, discusses the invasive species, fall armyworms and control measures. The fall armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda, is an annual problem and has been invading lawns and fields across the United States. These species destroy lawns by feeding and chewing holes in leaves. To the eyes of many, these fall armyworms come across as worms. However, the fall army worm is a striped caterpillar. In the Summer, the entire lifecycle of the worm is about 30 days and twice the amount of days in the Fall and Spring. To read the full article, please click here.        

Pollinator-Week-Social-Media-Graphic

NPW ’21 — UTIA

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National Pollinator Week is coming to a close, but it’s important to remember the importance of this event. While small and often inconspicuous, pollinators provide a wonderful service to our environment, economy, and culture. Even if it’s just one week of admiration for these critters, it’s imperative we consider pollinators and appreciate all they do for us as much as we can. Above, you can see a collage created by Dr. Jennifer Tsuruda. Below, you can see Governor Bill Lee’s 2021 proclamation. From here at UT, here are quotes from the Dean of Extension and the Vice President/Chancellor of UTIA:   “National pollinator week is a great time to reflect upon how important pollinators are across our ecosystems. Without them,

The adult female ambrosia beetle and ambrosial fungi in the gallery

Granulate Ambrosia Beetles

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Dr. Jason Oliver at the TSU Otis Floyd Nursery Research Center in McMinnville alerted us that they had caught a single granulate ambrosia beetle adult and two black stem borers in their ethyl alcohol baited trap when it was checked on Wednesday, March 18. As spring approaches, so too do the emergence of these pests as temperatures at or above 70 degrees F are conducive for ambrosia beetle activity. They primarily attack trees that are stressed and dormant, which many plants, especially if they were not irrigated last August through October could have been damaged by the flash drought. Often, these plants will not show signs of stress because of their dormancy. The granulate ambrosia beetle is an invasive pest from

A comparison of the front and backside of a leaf that is infected by grapevine rust

Be on the Lookout for Grapevine Leaf Rust in Tennessee

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Dr. Zach Hansen published an article in the November 2018 National Plant Diagnostic Network newsletter. Grapevine leaf rust was observed for the first time in Tennessee in September 2018. The disease was found on grape seedlings at large box stores in several counties in middle and east Tennessee. Dr. Hansen suggests that growers, industry professionals, diagnosticians and extension personnel should be aware of the disease and should be on the lookout for it. For the full article, click here.