Agricultural and Life Sciences (IFAS)
Insect and Related Pests of Foliage Plants Laboratory
Led by Lance Osborne · Entomology and Nematology
What we study
The lab studies pests of foliage plants, focusing on biological control methods like natural enemies and pesticide evaluation. They manage invasive species and develop rearing systems for beneficial insects.
What working here is like
- Wet lab
- Other insects
- Plants
- Papers
- 5
Recent papers, explained
- Biological control of poinsettia thrips, Echinothrips americanus (Thysanoptera: Thripidae), on lima bean using the ghost ant, Tapinoma melanocephalum (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)
2026 · Florida Entomologist
Tests if ghost ants can control poinsettia thrips on lima beans.
- Whitefly Species Preferences of the Predatory Ladybird Beetle, Delphastus pallidus LeConte (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae)
2026 · Insects
Ranks seven whitefly species by preference for a ladybird beetle predator.
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- Effect of Agrobacterium tumefaciens on papaya whitefly Trialeurodes variabilis populations infesting papaya Carica papaya
2026 · Scientific Reports
Finds papaya whiteflies grow faster on plants infected with a tumor-causing bacteria.
- Functional responses of 3 generalist predators to Thrips parvispinus (Thysanoptera: Thripidae): Amblydromalus limonicus and Amblyseius swirskii (Acari: Phytoseiidae), and Franklinothrips vespiformis (Thysanoptera: Aeolothripidae)
2026 · Journal of Economic Entomology
Measures how three predators eat emerald ash borer thrips at different densities.
- Management of Bemisia tabaci MEAM1 (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae) on poinsettia using a papaya banker plant system for the predator Delphastus pallidus (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae)
2025 · Biological Control
Uses papaya plants to help ladybird beetles control whiteflies on poinsettias.
Plain-language summaries are AI-written and reviewed by us; check the paper for details.
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