Topics in Subtropics

Biological control for sustained ACP suppressionVentura County supports ACP activity for much of the year due to mild climate, frequent flush, and a highly mixed landscape that includes commercial groves, organic production, and unmanaged citrus. Under these conditions, ACP populations persist and rebound…

Black Fig Fly (Diptera: Lonchaeidae: Silba adipata)Invasive Fig Pest Recently Discovered in Southern CaliforniaClick Here to Download the "Pest Alert" PDFOverviewFig growers need to be aware of the black fig fly (BFF), an invasive insect that was recently discovered infesting figs in multiple counties in…

High value coastal crops are prone to salt damage from salts in well waters, and in low rainfall years they are especially so. Avocado is especially prone to salt damage.  And the flowering period is one of the most sensitive.   Flowers are competing with leaves that have been hanging on for a…

First, remember that the desire to avoid any kind of an interaction is mutual. Rattlesnakes are an important part of the ecosystem, feeding on rodents, birds, and other small animals.Snake season in Southern California runs from April through October, but the warmer the weather, the more the reptiles are…