A New Whitefly in the Neighborhood

A new whitefly that hasn't been on the continent of the US before has now showed up in Polk County.  On October 10, 2016, Division of Plant Industry inspector Laura Ureta-Cooper submitted whiteflies she found in Polk county.  That was the first detection in the Continental US of a new whitefly.   Approximately one month later, another and totally independent sample was submitted by Phil McDonald of Island Environmental Pest Control, Inc. from Palm Beach County.  That sample also turned out to be what is referred to in the Pest Alert as Aleurotrachelus near anonae.
The host range listed in the literature includes Anona squamosa (Annonaceae), Morus indica (Moraceae) and Zingiber sp. (Zingiberaceae).  In Florida, this whitefly has also been found on banana and avocado.  Only two counties have been reported as positive for this whitefly: Polk and Palm Beach.

The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, Division of Plant Industry has posted an alert on their website.  You can download a copy from this web link:  http://www.freshfromflorida.com/content/download/72797/1916960/Pest_Alert_-_Aleurotrachelus_near_anonae_Corbett,_Whitefly.pdf 

WPS Changes

There are a few changes that will affect how you run your operation according to the new revisions to the Worker Protection Standard that go into effect on January 2, 2017.  Things such as, your new hires that work in the field will no longer have a grace period before they are trained in WPS.  They also will need to be trained annually instead of every five years.  As employers, you must keep a record of training for two years.

A list of a few of the other topics where changes occur are:  hazard communications, notifications of treated areas, minimum ages for handlers and early-entry workers, a new application exclusion zone, an OSHA fit-test for handlers using respirators, a medical examination for handlers using respirators, decontamination supplies, emergency assistance, the definition of enclosed space production, and the definition of immediate family.  Here is a UF factsheet on the new WPS changes entitiled, "A Summary of Revision to the Worker Protection Standard - 2015 by Fred Fishel.    http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/pdffiles/PI/PI26100.pdf

NEW WPS INFO

In case you missed our classes on the new Worker Protection Standards that are going to take affect on Jan. 2, 2017, we have another opportunity for you to be trained as a trainer at our class at the Gulf Coast Research and Education Center.  On Thursday, December 15, 2016 from 9:00 AM to 1:30 PM you can register for a WPS Train-the-Trainer-Training.  To register so that you can be certified to train your employees on the WPS click on this link to register for the class.
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/commercial-wps-train-the-trainer-workshop-balm-tickets-20921698363?ref=ecal

If you are a private applicator and just want the information, here is a link to the new standards. https://www.epa.gov/pesticide-worker-safety/pesticide-worker-protection-standard-how-comply-manual. 

Poinsettia Field Day at UF

Registrations are now open for the University of Florida Poinsettia Industry Short Course on Dec 6. We hope to see you there to review the latest poinsettia varieties and UF greenhouse research. 

Location: UF Research Greenhouse Complex, 2475 Memorial Road, Gainesville, FL 32611.

8.30 to 9.20 Registration, walk-through greenhouse

9.20 to 9.30 Welcome and introductions

9.30 to 11.00 Poinsettia cultivar trials (Jim Barrett)

11.05 to 11.50 Heat delay and research presentations

11.50 to 1.00 Lunch sponsored by Syngenta, Commercial breeder presentations by Beekenkamp, Selecta/Ball, Dummen Orange, and Syngenta Flowers

1.00 to 2.30 Poinsettia cultivar trials repeat presentation (Jim Barrett)

 

Registration is $50 online registration at tinyurl.com/UFpoin2016, or $60 at the door.

For more information, please email floriculturealliance@gmail.com.