Learn about opportunities to receive continuing education hours. October is upon us and before you know it, we'll be wrapped up in the busy holiday season. If you hold a license or certificate from the California Department of Pesticide Regulation (DPR) and have a last name that begins with letters A through L, this is your year to renew. DPR encourages license and certificate holders to avoid the end-of-the-year rush and submit renewal applications by November 1.

Early renewal has its advantages. DPR can take up to 60 days to process a renewal application. Submitting applications now not only avoids late fees and gives you time to fix any problems that DPR may find, such as not having enough continuing education (CE) hours to renew, but also ensures that you will have your new certificate or license by the first of the year.

Without a renewed license in hand, you are not allowed to use or supervise the use of pesticides after January 1, 2019 until you receive it. You also run the risk of having to retest if there are problems with the renewal application and not enough time to fix them.

If you need a few last-minute credits, take a look at the online courses the UC Statewide IPM Program (UC IPM) offers:

Laws and Regulations

• Proper Selection, Use, and Removal of Personal Protective Equipment (1.5 hours) $30.00 charge NEW for 2018
• Proper Pesticide Use to Avoid Illegal Residues (2 hours) $40.00 charge
• Providing Integrated Pest Management Services in Schools and Child Care Settings (1 hour Laws and Regulations and 1 hour Other)

Other

• Citrus IPM: California Red Scale (1 hour)
• Citrus IPM: Citricola Scale (1 hour)
• Citrus IPM: Citrus Peelminer (1 hour)
• Citrus IPM: Citrus Red Mite (1 hour)
• Citrus IPM: Cottony Cushion Scale (1 hour)
• Citrus IPM: Forktailed Bush Katydid (1 hour)
• Pesticide Application Equipment and Calibration (1.5 hours)
• Pesticide Resistance (2 hours)
• Tuta absoluta: A Threat to California Tomatoes (1 hour)
• Urban Pesticide Runoff and Mitigation: IPM – Pesticide Properties (1 hour)
• Urban Pesticide Runoff and Mitigation: Impact of Pesticides - Urban Pesticide Runoff (1 hour)
• Urban Pesticide Runoff and Mitigation: Water Quality and Mitigation: Bifenthrin and Fipronil (1 hour)
• Urban Pesticide Runoff and Mitigation: Herbicides and Water Quality (1 hour)

UC Agriculture and Natural Resources (UC ANR) is also offering monthly webinars on specific pest issues for CEUs. More information can be found on the UC Ag Experts Talk website.

Check out the list of DPR-approved continuing education courses. For more information about license renewal, visit DPR's licensing and certification webpage.

Learn about pest management and other training opportunities from UC IPM.

Celebrate National Honey Bee Day by brushing up on your knowledge of bee protection—check out the newly revised Best Management Practices to Protect Bees from Pesticides and Bee Precaution Pesticide Ratings from UC IPM. These resources will help you strike the right balance between applying pesticides to protect crops and reducing the risk of harming our most important pollinators.

The best management practices now contain important information regarding the use of adjuvants and tank mixes, preventing the movement of pesticide-contaminated dust, and adjusting chemigation practices to reduce bee exposure to pesticide-contaminated water. The Bee Precaution Pesticide Ratings have also been updated to include ratings for 38 new pesticides, including insecticides (baits, mixtures, and biological active ingredients), molluscicides (for snail and slug control), and fungicides.

Most tree and row crops are finished blooming by now, but it is a good idea to learn about bee protection year-round. Visit these resources today to choose pesticides that are least toxic to bees and learn how you can help prevent bees from being harmed by pesticide applications.

Last week during California Invasive Species Action Week (June 2 – June 10), we highlighted several pests, but there are many more invasive species out there. Now that you know about them, share your knowledge of invasive species with others. And no matter what your summer plans, here are some things YOU can do about invasive species from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife and California Department of Food and Agriculture.

YOU: I'M TRAVELING TO AMAZING PLACES

• Learn what plants and animals you can bring into California.
• Don't pack a pest! Declare all food and agricultural items from other states or countries.
• Find out which species are threats to California.
• Learn about California's invasive plants.
• Avoid spreading forest pests: buy your firewood where you burn it.

YOU: I'LL BE WORKING IN MY GARDEN

• Remove invasive plants from your property.
• Select native or non-invasive plants for your garden.
• Use only certified weed-free forage, hay, seed, mulch, soil, and gravel.
• Learn alternatives to releasing unwanted fish, aquatic plants, and other pets.
• Monitor plants and trees for symptoms of infestations and disease.
• Learn about California's invasive plants.
• Have you spotted an invasive species? Tell us where by reporting your sighting.

YOU: I'LL BE NEAR THE WATER OR ON A BOAT

• Join the statewide citizen science effort to monitor for quagga mussels.
• Join the iNaturalist project, California Nerodia Watch, and help us find Nerodia watersnakes.
• Make sure to Clean, Drain, and Dry (PDF) your boat after each outing.
• Learn alternatives to releasing unwanted fish, aquatic plants, and other pets.
• Visit your favorite local, state, or national park, ecological reserve, recreational area, or nature center and ask about their volunteer programs.
• Learn about California's invasive plants.
• Have you spotted an invasive species? Tell us where by reporting your sighting.

YOU: I'LL BE OUT AND ABOUT CAMPING, HIKING, OR RIDING HORSES

• Use only certified weed-free forage, hay, seed, mulch, soil, and gravel.
• Avoid spreading forest pests: buy your firewood where you burn it.
• Prevent the spread of plant pathogens that damage and kill California's native plants and trees.
• Learn about California's invasive plants.
• Visit your favorite local, state, or national park, ecological reserve, recreational area, or nature center and ask about their volunteer programs.
• Have you spotted an invasive species? Tell us where by reporting your sighting.

• Get to know your local invaders.
• Learn about California's invasive plants.
• Find out which species are threats to California.
• Learn alternatives to releasing unwanted fish, aquatic plants, and other pets.
• Eat them. Yum. Check out these websites to find out who is edible and how to prepare them.

• Invasive-eats.com (California-specific)
• Invasivore.org (under construction but hopefully back soon)
• EatTheWeeds.com
• EatTheInvaders.org

If you missed it this year, help in the fight next year by learning and participating during California Invasive Species Action Week.

Sometimes an invasive pest takes a while to become invasive. The Invasive Species Council of California defines an invasive species as “non-native organisms which cause economic or environmental harm.” So, until a species not originally from the area actually causes harm, it doesn't get the title of invasive.

Take the Italian white snail, also known as the white garden snail. In San Diego, it caused extensive damage to agricultural plants in the early 1900s but was considered eradicated after a massive control program in the 1920s. However, it was found again in San Diego County in the 1980s but it did not damage agricultural crops or gardens. Instead the snails lived off of weeds in neglected fields. Now it appears to be moving slowly from these fields to fruit tree orchards and avocado groves as well as landscapes. The Italian white snail feeds on decaying organic matter and living plants, damaging leaves, flowers, and fruit. Another fear is it being found in cut flower growing areas or in nurseries where it could become an export issue.

White or light tan, the Italian white snail is about the size of a dime or nickel when fully grown. It may or may not have brown markings on the outside of the shell. The inside shell color near the opening is light colored (compared to the milk snail, which looks similar but has a dark inside shell). Italian white snails are most noticeable during the day and when it is hot, because the snails climb up on fence posts, walls, weeds and other vegetation and congregate in large numbers.

In California, the Italian white snail is only officially found in San Diego County. However, it could easily move to new areas because of its small size, which makes it hard to detect, and tendency to attach to many kinds of surfaces such as truck beds. Also, because land snails are hermaphroditic—each snail has both male and female reproductive organs—it only takes any two snails to reproduce!

Californians can help in the fight against invasive species by learning and participating during California Invasive Species Action Week, June 2–10.