- Author: Lauren Fordyce
![A freshly made bed with white sheets and striped pillows.](https://ucanr.edu/blogs/UCIPMurbanpests/blogfiles/107483small.jpg)
As vacation season begins, people will be traveling much more in the coming months. Whether you'll be staying at a hotel, hostel, motel, rental home, or summer camp, you should always be on the lookout for bed bugs. A bed bug check takes only a few minutes to complete and can give you and your family peace of mind when staying at new places.
Bed bugs are small insects, but big enough to see with the naked eye. They are oval shaped, wingless, and reddish brown. Bed bugs feed only on human blood, usually at nighttime while we are sleeping.
It's important to remember that bed bugs can occur anywhere and are not always an indication of poor hygiene or care. Bed bugs can be moved to new places on furniture, luggage,...
![A grey brown rat on the ground with its hands by its mouth feeding on something.](https://ucanr.edu/blogs/UCIPMurbanpests/blogfiles/107401small.jpg)
Rats can contaminate our food, damage structures, and spread diseases. To help residents and urban pest professionals safely and effectively manage rats, UC IPM has updated the Pest Notes: Rats publication. This revised fact sheet is authored by UC Cooperative Extension Human-Wildlife Conflicts advisor Dr. Niamh Quinn, a recognized expert in urban rat management. Updates include additional information on rat damage, specific sanitation tactics for both Norway and roof rats, tips for rodent-proofing your home, and new illustrations to clearly show correct placement of traps. Rules and regulations regarding rodenticide use in California are...
- Author: Lauren Fordyce
![Black and white striped mosquito on human skin](https://ucanr.edu/blogs/UCIPMurbanpests/blogfiles/107153small.jpg)
Aedes mosquitoes can transmit some of the most debilitating and deadly mosquito-borne pathogens to humans, such as Zika virus, dengue virus, chikungunya virus, and yellow fever virus. One Aedes species is also capable of transmitting heartworm to dogs. These invasive mosquitoes are now present in many regions of California, from Shasta County to San Diego County. View a map of Aedes distribution by county.
The yellow fever mosquito (Aedes aegypti), the Asian tiger mosquito (Aedes albopictus), and the Australian backyard mosquito (Aedes notoscriptus) are unlike...
- Author: Lauren Fordyce
![Information on the pesticide active ingredient neem oil. From the UC IPM Pesticide Active Ingredient Database.](https://ucanr.edu/blogs/UCIPMurbanpests/blogfiles/106594small.png)
The University of California Statewide IPM Program (UC IPM) has an exciting, newly updated resource to help you better understand pesticide active ingredients and the risks different active ingredients pose to people and the environment.
The Pesticide Active Ingredient Database is designed for urban audiences including the general public, Master Gardeners, nursery and garden center staff, pest control operators, landscapers, and more. The active ingredients included in this database can be found in many commonly available pesticide products in California. The database contains a variety of pesticide types, including...
- Author: Mackenzie Faith Patton
![West Nile virus is mainly spread by Culex mosquitoes. Photo by Matthew Bertone, North Carolina State University Extension.](https://ucanr.edu/blogs/UCIPMurbanpests/blogfiles/105721small.jpg)
The invasive pest spotlight focuses on emerging or potential invasive pests in California. In this issue we are covering West Nile virus.
West Nile Virus Facts
West Nile virus disease was first reported in California in 2003 and has become the most common and serious vector-borne disease in California. With the exceptionally wet weather in 2023, reported cases of this mosquito-borne virus doubled compared to the previous year.
West Nile virus is spread by mosquitoes in the genus Culex. Usually, the virus passes between mosquitoes and birds, but mosquitoes can also transmit the virus to humans, horses, and other domestic animals.
Because mosquitoes can get the virus...
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