[From the July 2014 issue of the UC IPM Retail Nursery & Garden Center News]

Fungus gnats are small flies that infest soil, potting mix, or plants grown in pots or containers (Figure 1). Your customers may complain about fungus gnats resting on or swarming around plants or soil or flying around windows in their houses.

Adult fungus gnats don't harm plants or people, but they can be annoying. On the other hand, fungus gnat larvae (Figure 2), which live in soil and feed on roots, can be damaging when their numbers are very high, sometimes causing plants to wilt. Their feeding...

Most people recognize raccoons and their distinctive black “mask” over the eyes and rings around the tail. Because they are mainly active at night, it may be more useful to recognize signs of their presence around homes and landscapes.

Raccoon damage to gardens and landscapes is quite common. They eat a variety of plants and animals including fruits, berries, vegetables, bird eggs, insects, fish, snails, and others, but will also scavenge through garbage and compost piles and eat pet food left out overnight. Raccoons will roll up newly laid turf looking for beetle grubs and will occasionally prey upon koi in backyard ponds. Raccoons are known to carry diseases and internal parasites such as raccoon roundworm, rabies,...

With the onset of warm weather and outdoor eating, expect an increase in yellowjacket activity (Figure 1). Your local retail nursery and garden center probably carries yellowjacket lure traps, and it's important to know if they work and how to use them. University of California, Riverside entomologists recently tested yellow lure traps (Figure 2) in picnic areas in parks in Southern California and demonstrated that proper use of traps can provide protection of local areas, such as eating areas, in many situations.

Traps don't eliminate large populations but can help reduce numbers of localized foraging workers. Lure traps contain a chemical that attracts yellowjackets into the traps, but the common lure in traps, heptyl...

[From the July 2014 issue of the UC IPM Retail Nursery & Garden Center News]

In recent years, you may have seen a strange “new” bug in your garden, especially on tomatoes and pomegranates. These insects may be leaffooted bugs. Although they are native to the western United States and not new to California, leaffooted bugs seem to be occurring more commonly in gardens. These distinctive bugs get their name from the small leaf-like enlargements on the hind leg (Figure 1). They are medium to large sized insects that prefer to feed on fruits and seeds and are often found in...