Pests in the Urban Landscape

This week, we put the spotlight on invasive species and how these non-native plants, animals, and pathogens damage California's economy and environment.

The red imported fire ant, or RIFA for short, is no ordinary red ant. This invasive pest lives up to its name, delivering a sting that causes a burning sensation when its venom is injected into the skin. People sometimes confuse RIFA with the native southern fire ant.

Shot hole borers are tiny insects the size of a sesame seed that don't look particularly harmful, but don't let their diminutive size fool you. Two of these borers are invasivethe polyphagous shot hole borer and the Kuroshio shot hole borer.

When people think of parasites, often what comes to mind are blood-sucking insects like bed bugs, head lice, and fleas or other bodily invaders on or in humans and other animals. But plants can have parasites too.

People in urban and suburban areas often use the term invasive to describe plants or weeds that appear to take over a garden or landscape. However, true invasive plants are weeds that infest ecosystems, rangelands, and pastureplaces common garden weeds don't thrive.