- Author: Niamh Quinn
[From the Winter 2017 issue of the UC IPM Green Bulletin]
Rodenticides are essential tools in the IPM toolbox for rodent management. Exclusion and cultural practices, such as landscape management and sanitation, are also very important tools that should be considered when managing rodent populations. However, persistent and chronic infestations often require the use of rodenticides.
Rats (Fig. 1) and mice are vectors of disease such as plague, leptospirosis, and salmonellosis. Commensal rodents are also associated with the onset of...
/span>Most of us have clutter we've hidden away in closets, drawers, garages, or in other storage space. Although you may not have the time or energy to go through these excess “stuff” and cluttered areas, we have an incentive for you: pest reduction and prevention.
Consider the following pests when thinking whether you should reduce clutter and get rid of unneeded items in your house:
Cockroaches may come into contact with human and pet excrement and can transmit bacteria to food. They prefer to hide in warm, moist environments. The German cockroach female is capable of laying over 30,000 eggs per year,...
[From the May 2017 issue of the UC IPM Retail Newsletter]
Keeping backyard chickens is becoming increasingly popular in residential areas around California. Your store may be selling pre-made chicken coops, feed, or other accessories, or you may be getting questions about rodent pests in chicken houses.
Chicken coops are sometimes associated with mild to serious rodent infestations. Rodents, such as rats and house mice, are not only predators of chickens and eggs, they can carry and transmit many diseases to both chickens and humans. For rodents, as well as most pests in and around the home and garden,...
/span>- Author: Anne Schellman
Did you know that this week (November 15-21) is Rodent Awareness Week? The goal of the week is to bring awareness about the risks that rodents can pose to your health and the problems they can cause to your home and garden.
In and around the home, Norway rats, roof rats and house mice can be problematic by consuming and contaminating food intended for you and your pets. These rodents often enter structures in winter and can also carry several diseases and parasites.
In the landscape and garden, tree squirrels, ground squirrels, gophers, moles and voles can be a nuisance and feed on many garden...
- Author: Anne Schellman
This summer, the media frequently reported an increase in the density of pests in the home and landscape. The drought has been cited as the cause of these problems. Pest control companies quoted in articles confirm that the demand for their services is much higher this year than in years past.
Many people are asking, “Why are there so many more pests this year than usual?” According to Dr. Andrew Sutherland, the urban Integrated Pest Management Advisor for the San Francisco Bay Area, we are asking the wrong question. “The overall abundance of pests probably hasn't changed and may even have decreased as compared to wet years. The real questions we should be asking are ‘Why are these pests appearing earlier...