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Spring 2022 Air Potato Beetle Update

Special contribution from Rosemary Murray with Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services As we enter spring, different strategies should be employed to control your air potato infestation. Vines will gradually begin to emerge from underground tubers and...

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Important Update on How to Get Beetles

Important Update on How to Get Beetles

Who produces air potato beetles? Air potato beetles are reared (produced) by the biological control lab at the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) Division of Plant Industry (DPI) in Gainesville Florida. They can rear about 50,000 beetles...

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Spring Is Here!

Well, for most of Florida it is, and in South Florida it never really left as far as air potato is concerned. We wanted to let you know that the Air Potato Patrol program is back and we are here to help answer all of your questions. We are working hard to inform...

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Air Potato Beetle Distribution Update

The following is an update on how the air potato beetles will be distributed at the current time, from Emily Kraus, head of the beetle rearing program: We would like to make the public aware of extensive changes to the air potato beetle shipping program. The beetle...

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A Week In The Life Of A Beetle Rancher

Rosemary Murray is an OPS Laboratory Technician IV in the Methods Development & Biological Control Department, Division of Plant Industry, Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. That's a really long name for someone who helps to raise air potato...

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Air Potato Patrol Update on COVID-19

To all our valued Citizen Scientists, The current situation with the COVID-19 virus has affected all of us in one way or another. We wanted to let you know that we are still here to answer your questions about air potato and how to control it. We have had to...

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Air Potato Patrol Updates January 2020

Greetings Air Potato Patrol! We wanted to update you on what we have planned for this coming spring and summer and share some information you will hopefully find useful. First: If you have any questions or want to contact us, the best way to do so is through our email...

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Program Updates for 2020

The following is an update for this coming year’s air potato beetle release program. The beetles will be available to Florida and other Gulf Coast State residents during spring and summer 2020, but there have been some changes to how they will be distributed. The air...

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Funding Acknowledgements

Funding for FDACS-DPI mass rearing and release of Lilioceris cheni funded, in part, by a Cooperative Agreement from United States Department of Agriculture-Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (USDA-APHIS).

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