While working outside, gardeners and farmers may discover pest problems they need to answer quickly. To meet this need, the University of California Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources has recently published the Vegetable Pest Identification for Gardens and Small Farms card set.
This travel-sized guide is a convenient and quick way to keep a pest management reference in your pocket. The set of 53 full-color cards contains photos and information about common insect and mite pests as well as plant diseases, nematodes, abiotic disorders, weeds, and vertebrate pests. The cards focus on sustainable pest management for vegetables, melons,...
- Author: Andrew Mason Sutherland
[From the Summer issue of the UC IPM Retail Nursery & Garden Center News]
Don't let the bed bugs bite? That's easier said than done, it seems. Bed bugs (Figure 1) continue to be important household pests globally, driving a growing sector of the pest control industry. Professionals have access to effective insecticides and specialized techniques, such as heat treatments, to control bed bug infestations. These services, however, can be expensive: a recent survey revealed the average cost of professional insecticide treatments and heat treatments to be $425 and $1,400,...
/span>- Author: Andrew Mason Sutherland
[From the December 2015 issue of the UC IPM Green Bulletin]
Survey of professional bed bug management in multi-unit housing
Bed bug management is especially challenging in multi-unit housing (MUH) situations such as public and low-income apartment buildings. In these environments, high resident turnover, lack of resources, ease of bed bug dispersal, and communication barriers may all contribute to chronic infestations.
Researchers and policymakers recognize the need to address this challenging...
/h2>/span>- Author: Andrew Mason Sutherland
[From the July 2015 issue of the UC IPM Retail IPM Newsletter]
Insect pests, though actually quite rare in well-managed lawns and turf, can sometimes jeopardize a flawless appearance, potentially sending people running to their local nursery or garden center for help.
The recently revised UC IPM Pest Note: Lawn Insects can prepare you with answers to keep lawns pest-free and BBQ ready this summer. This resource contains a wealth of information about lawn insect...
/span>- Author: Andrew Mason Sutherland
[From the May 2015 issue of the UC IPM Green Bulletin]
For landscape professionals: Turf areas, such as residential lawns, commercial landscape features, municipal rights-of-way, sports fields, and golf courses, can be challenging to manage since they often require substantial inputs and may be expected to always look clean, green, and uniform by clients. Insect pests, though actually quite rare in well-managed turf, can sometimes jeopardize a flawless appearance (Figure 1), leading to further inputs in the form of pesticide applications. With proper monitoring, however, pest...