- Author: Karey Windbiel-Rojas
New! Vegetable Pest Identification cards
I'm excited to announce the brand new Vegetable Pest Identification for Gardens and Small Farms card set is available! This is a handy, quick reference that focuses on sustainable pest management for vegetables, melons, fruit trees, and other crops commonly grown in small-scale farms and backyard gardens.
The cards were compiled by Mary Louise Flint, Andrew Sutherland, and myself, and they cover common insect and mite pests as well as pathogens, nematodes, abiotic disorders, weeds, and vertebrate pests. You'll also find information on general predators, lady beetles, parasites, and...
- Author: Karey Windbiel-Rojas
Weeds can be a real nuisance in gardens and landscapes, and even during the colder winter months, some kinds of weeds continue to grow and thrive. These are called winter annual weeds.
Most weeds are classified as annuals, biennials, or perennials. Annuals complete their life cycle (germinate from seed, grow, flower, set seed, and die) in one year or less, biennials generally complete their life cycle in 2 years, and perennials live longer than 2 years.
Examples of winter annual weeds include chickweed, little mallow, and annual bluegrass. They germinate and actively grow during fall and winter, then produce seed and die by the hot summer months.
If allowed to set seed, annual winter weeds can continue to grow...
- Author: Karey Windbiel-Rojas
If you have house or office plants and have ever seen small, dark-colored insect swarming around them, your plants could have fungus gnats.
Fungus gnats are tiny flies that as adults, resemble mosquitoes. Fungus gnats don't bite people, but their presence can be annoying. Their larval stage lives in wet, overly moist potting mix, where they feed on decaying matter.
The first step to managing fungus gnats is allowing the soil in your houseplants to dry out in between watering. To read more about how to manage this pest, visit the UC IPM publication Pest Notes: Fungus Gnats.
September 5, 2017
SOLANO COUNTY – The Solano County Agricultural Commissioner, in cooperation with the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), have found an adult Mediterranean Fruit Fly (Medfly) near the Tolinas area late last week, triggering an extensive survey in the area, including the placement of additional Medfly traps.
The fly was captured in an insect trap baited with lures designed to attract the Medfly. Scientists at the CDFA have verified that the fly has DNA that matches it to populations known to originate from Hawaii and is a mature female with well-developed eggs inside, however, the fly was unmated. As part of the coordinated...
- Author: Karey Windbiel-Rojas
Welcome to my blog! I am Karey Windbiel-Rojas, Area Urban Integrated Pest Management Advisor for the University of California Cooperative Extension serving Sacramento, Yolo, and Solano counties.
I intend to use this blog to inform readers about local pest issues, pesticide safety information, as well as statewide pest-related topics that have local significance.
For information on various home, garden, turf, and landscape pests, please visit the UC Statewide IPM Program web site to find specific science-based pest management information.
Please visit my web page for local contact information and other...