Pests in the Urban Landscape

The 10th annual California Invasive Species Action Week (CISAW) will kick off Saturday June 3rd and runs to Sunday June 11th. This week is designed to raise awareness and encourage public participation in the ongoing fight against invasive species.

The invasive pest spotlight focuses on emerging or potential invasive pests in California. In this issue we are covering the emerald ash borer.

What is that weird wormlike thing in your garden? A slug? An earthworm? It may be neitherit it might be a land planarian. Land planaria are also called terrestrial flatworms and hammerhead worms.

The jumping worm, Amynthas agrestis, is an invasive earthworm capable of harming native forests that has been recently reported in some areas of California.

Lately you may have seen some large, leggy insects bumbling around on your home, bouncing off walls and ceilings. What are these? While many people call them mosquito eaters or mosquito hawks, they are actually crane flies. And unfortunately, they do not eat mosquitoes.