“The best part of my job is when I get to solve a ‘pest mystery,'” says Lorena Lopez, Ph.D., shown here scouting in a blueberry field. ” For instance, I helped blueberry growers identify a major outbreak of southern red mites (Oligonychus ilicis), an emerging pest in 2019 that is now established in many areas in Florida and Georgia. I was able to identify the problem, conduct on-farm trials, and provide them with the proper chemical tools to protect their crops.”