Soil solarization is a method home gardeners and farmers can use to manage soilborne pests such as weeds, disease pathogens, nematodes and insects. Solarization can reduce help reduce pesticides used to control these pests.

Soil solarization is simple: prepare the site, water it a bit, then cover the soil with clear plastic for an extended period of time to allow the sun to heat the soil to temperatures lethal to a wide range of pests.

Learn more about this process in our recently updated Pest Notes: Soil Solarization for Gardens & Landscapes, by authors Jim Stapleton, Cheryl Wilen, and Richard Molinar of the University of California Cooperative...

As written in my blog post from 2 days ago, I found carpenter ants in my house recently and decided to call a pest control company to help manage them.

Yesterday, the field representative from the pest control company (both of whom will remain unnamed) showed up as scheduled, the day after I submitted a service request. Prompt service, which I appreciated! I had collected some of the perpetrators for him, and had both dead and live specimens on hand for his expert ID and advice.

The job of the licensed structural field rep is to identify the pest. I already knew what I had, having some prior knowledge of ants and having used the UC IPM

As I sit in my hotel tonight and work from atop my bed, I thought it would be useful to share the practice I always use each and every time I stay in a hotel: checking for bed bugs.

Bed bugs can occur in any hotel whether it's a 5-star or 1-star hotel. I tend to stay in hotels rated somewhere in between these, but I always check for bed bugs before even putting my things away or sitting down.

It doesn't take long and you will be glad you did it. Please watch this short video and keep yourself safe from bringing home these very troublesome pests.