If you are growing tomatoes in your garden, you may not be the only vertebrate going for your hard earned harvest. Are rats feasting away in the garden? We have a couple resources we can share to help you reduce or prevent rat damage to your tomatoes.

Integrated Pest Management for Rats

• Our Pest Notes: Rats has information to help you with identification, biology and IPM options.
• This blog post provides additional information on using snap traps to catch rats and mice.
• If you are managing a school or community garden, you can...

Starting August 1, 2020, all pesticides containing the active ingredient carbaryl will be designated as restricted materials in California, except for baits labeled only for agricultural use.

Once this regulation goes into effect, only licensed pesticide dealers can sell restricted carbaryl products and only licensed pesticide applicators will be allowed to purchase and use pesticides containing carbaryl.

After August 1, 2020 it will be unlawful to possess or use carbaryl products without an appropriate pesticide applicator license and permit. This includes home gardeners and maintenance gardeners (if they are not licensed to apply pesticides). There will not be a sell-through period for existing...

Have you had unexpected seeds show up in the mail? Unknown seeds could be invasive plants, contain invasive insects, or have plant disease causing agents. Here's what the United States Department of Agriculture Animal Plant and Health Inspection Service (USDA APHIS) has to say about it.

USDA Investigates Packages of Unsolicited Seeds

USDA is aware that people across the country have received suspicious, unsolicited packages of seed that appear...

Most people are practicing social distancing due to the current pandemic, so contracting head lice might not be a top concern right now.

However, many families with young children have at least one encounter with head lice at some time or another. Finding effective ways to manage these pests can be difficult, but it is possible. And remember, anyone can get head lice.

In the newly updated Pest Notes: Head Lice, authors Victoria Leonard and Dawn Gouge bring their public health and pest management expertise to the topic of head lice management, providing easy, safe, and effective...