From the UC Blogosphere...

Does Sneezeweed Make You Sneeze?

Does sneezeweed make you sneeze? Over at the UC Davis Arboretum GATEway Garden. off First Street in downtown Davis,...

A female long-horned bee, Svastra obliqua expurgata, forages on sneezeweed, genus Helenium. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A female long-horned bee, Svastra obliqua expurgata, forages on sneezeweed, genus Helenium. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Close-up of a female long-horned bee, Svastra obliqua expurgata, on sneezeweed. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Close-up of a female long-horned bee, Svastra obliqua expurgata, on sneezeweed. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

California agriculture is worth the water

As California struggles through the four-year drought, a common complaint asserts that agriculture generates only 2 percent of the gross domestic product, but consumes 80 percent of the state's water. Both figures are deceptive, says an op-ed in the Los Angeles Times written by a UC Agriculture and Natural Resources (UC ANR) agricultural economist, and the California secretary of agriculture.

The authors, Dan Sumner, director of the UC ANR Agricultural Issues Center, and Karen Ross, secretary of the California Department of Food and Agriculture, say the 80 percent figure doesn't account for water diverted for environmental purposes to rivers, lakes, streams, deltas, bays and, ultimately the ocean. The 2 percent figure doesn't account for ripple effects and multipliers placed in other categories, such as "transportation and warehousing" and "finance and insurance," which are connected to "every one of our 78,000 farms."

Besides, Sumner and Ross wrote, the state's unique capacity to produce healthful and desirable food is not found anywhere else in the United States.

"Food is central to California in more than just the nutritional sense," the authors said. "It contributes to nearly every aspect of our economy and our lives, an important point to keep in mind as we weigh what our water is worth during this drought, and the next one."

Can You Keep a Secret?

Can you keep a secret? The secret world of insects? And unleash the secret of soapberry bugs? Students in the Entomology...

UC Davis student Kelly Aoyama works on a painting that will be displayed June 3 at a public art exhibit in Davis. (Photo by Diane Ullman)

UC Davis student Kelly Aoyama works on a painting that will be displayed June 3 at a public art exhibit in Davis. (Photo by Diane Ullman)

These are soapberry bugs photographed near the Ruth Risdon Storer Gardens, UC Davis Arboretum. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

These are soapberry bugs photographed near the Ruth Risdon Storer Gardens, UC Davis Arboretum. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Here Come the Cucumber Beetles!

Help for the Home Gardener from the Contra Costa Master Gardeners' Help Desk

Client:  I found this insect feeding on my Calendulas. They are planted near my vegetable beds. I've already got the vegetables covered with row cover cloth to protect them from some other bugs I've found in the garden. Do I need to worry about this insect attacking my vegetables?

Reply from the CCMG Help Desk: The insect you brought to share with us is indeed a garden problem. It is a Western Spotted Cucumber Beetle (Diabrotica undecimpunctata).  The adults of this beetle feed on the leaves of melons, squash and other cucurbits, as well as corn, potatoes, tomatoes, eggplant, beans, peas, beets, asparagus, cabbage, lettuce, and other vegetables...almost all the popular vegetables. They also feed on ripening peaches and apricots and other soft fruit.  Management of this pest can be difficult if not caught early on. Small seedlings can be destroyed quickly; however, established plants are more likely to survive an attack.

The least toxic method of extermination is hand picking and dropping into a bucket of soapy water to drown them.  Since the beetles are now attacking your Calendulas, you may want to remove or cut the plants down and bag the remains for disposal in your garbage in order to get rid of any potential eggs or larvae that may be on them.  This should help reduce the population of the beetle in your garden.

Young seedlings and other small plants can be protected from damage by coverings such as screens, protective cloth, or individual cups or cones until they are large enough to tolerate damage.

Here is a link to some more information on this pest, along with pictures to help you with identification:  ttp://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/GARDEN/VEGES/PESTS/cucumberbeet.html

Good luck managing these destructive insects!  Fortunately you covered your vegetables before the beetles moved in to your garden!  Keep your protection in place. You probably should keep the covers until plants are at leasatlarge enough to withstand damage from the beetles.

Contra Costa Master Gardeners Help Desk

---

Note: The Contra Costa Master Gardener Help Desk is available year-round to answer your gardening questions.  Except for a few holidays, we're open every week, Monday through Thursday for walk-ins from 9:00 am to Noon at 75 Santa Barbara Road, 2d Floor, Pleasant Hill, CA  94523. We can also be reached via telephone:  (925) 646-6586, email: ccmg@ucanr.edu, or on the web at http://ccmg.ucanr.edu/Ask_Us/

Daily Life For Master Gardeners

Reckless Blooming By Andrea Peck   Everything is blooming most recklessly; if it were voices instead of colors,...

Read more