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September 2025 First Friday with Florida First Detector

1 day ago
Recap of September 2025 First Friday with Florida First Detector This September, we continued our tradition of kicking off another year of First Fridays webinars with a refresher on the fundamentals of invasive species. Whether you’re brand new to the topic or a returning participant in our First Friday webinar series, this session was all about…

August 2025 First Friday with Florida First Detector

August 4, 2025
Recap of August 2025 First Friday with Florida First Detector Invasive Species Threatening Florida’s Palms In August, our monthly webinar took a deep dive into the world of invasive species affecting palms. From our neatly landscaped yards to our natural areas, palms are an iconic part of Florida’s identity. But these beloved trees face growing…

July 2025 First Friday with Florida First Detector

July 14, 2025
Recap of July 2025 First Friday with Florida First Detector Oak trees play a vital role in our ecosystems, providing food, shelter, and beauty across the globe. In the United States, there are about 90 native oak species, with 24 found right here in Florida. With such wide distribution, especially in the Eastern U.S., protecting…
First Fridays with Florida First Detector, Schedule available Sept 2025-2026!

First Fridays with Florida First Detector, Schedule available Sept 2025-2026!

June 30, 2025
What is Florida First Detector? Florida First Detector is a multiagency educational effort focused on enhancing the early detection of invasive pests that threaten agriculture, nursery industries, and natural areas. We offer in-person and virtual classes. The Florida First Detector website also provides scripted presentations for educators and on-demand CEU opportunities for licensed professionals.…

June 2025 First Friday with Florida First Detector

June 9, 2025
Recap of June 2025 First Friday with Florida First Detector Snails and slugs are gastropods, a type of mollusk found all over the world. While snails have a prominent external shell, slugs typically lack a visible shell, making them appear quite different despite being closely related. Identifying these creatures depends on different features. For slugs,…

April First Friday with Florida First Detector

April 7, 2025
Recap of April 2025 First Friday with Florida First Detector In April, we started learning about wood-boring insects—bugs that tunnel into trees! Many of these insects are beetles, especially those in three big families: Buprestidae, Cerambycidae, and Curculionidae. This month’s webinar focused on jewel beetles (Buprestidae) and longhorned beetles (Cerambycidae). Next month, in May, we’ll…

March First Friday with Florida First Detector

March 10, 2025
Recap of March 2025 First Friday with Florida First Detector This month, we talked about invasive pests on citrus. Historically, the citrus industry has a really big deal in Florida. So important that the orange is the official state fruit, orange juice is the state beverage, and the orange blossom is the state flower. Despite…

February First Friday with Florida First Detector

February 10, 2025
Recap of February 2025 First Friday with Florida First Detector This month, we talked about Invasive Scale Insects on Ornamental plants. We looked at a few recently detected invasive scales in Florida as well as identification of species commonly found in Florida on ornamental plants. Scale insects can be challenging to identify! Closely related species…

January 2025 First Friday with Florida First Detector

January 6, 2025
Recap of January 2025 First Friday with Florida First Detector In this month’s webinar, we covered invasive caterpillars that feed on vegetable crops. Florida’s agriculture industry is home to a wide variety of high value vegetable production. We are a top producer of tomatoes, bell peppers, cabbage and many other delicious veggies. Our mild winters…

November 2024 First Friday with Florida First Detector

November 26, 2024
Recap of November 2024 First Friday with Florida First Detector This month we talked all about fruit flies! We focused on true fruit flies in the family Tephritidae. Florida has quite the history with non-native fruit flies. We have a few that have established and caused issues for fruit production in the state. We also…

October 2024 First Friday with Florida First Detector

November 26, 2024
Recap of October 2024 First Friday with Florida First Detector In October’s First Friday, we looked more into the agencies involved in invasive species work and talked a lot about sample submission. Identification of the pest prior to treatment is critical for all pest management. Starting next month, we will be talking about identification of…

September 2024 First Friday with Florida First Detector

September 9, 2024
Recap of September 2024 First Friday with Florida First Detector This webinar kicks off our third year of First Friday with Florida First Detector! In honor of another year, we went back to the basics on invasive species. For anyone new to the series, this is a great place to start. For others, this is…
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