Warming temperatures combined with late spring rains create ideal conditions for mosquitoes to breed, including the mosquitoes that transmit West Nile Virus. To help spread the message about mosquito prevention, April 15-21, 2018 has been designated as Mosquito and West Nile Virus Awareness Week.
West Nile Virus is spread by mosquitoes that get the virus from infected birds. Mosquitoes infected with the virus can transfer it to humans and other animals. Humans infected with the virus may become very ill. The disease usually is most serious in children, people with weakened immune systems, and the elderly. In 2017, California reported 553 human cases of West Nile Virus, which included 44...
March 18-24 was National Poison Prevention Week. While our blog post may be tardy, it's never too late to raise awareness about the risks associated with using pesticides and how to protect yourself and your family from accidental poisoning.
Pesticides are any substance used to kill, repel, or deter unwanted organisms, including insects, spiders, weeds, plant diseases, or animal pests such as rodents. In most situations, effective nonchemical options exist to control pests. However, if you decide to use a pesticide, please consider the following...
Yesterday we posted an “Easter egg hunt” challenge, and as promised, here are the adult insects and spiders with their matching eggs or egg cases pictured. How did you do?
We welcome your feedback, so please sign in and post a comment below to tell us if the egg hunt was easy or difficult, and how many answers you guessed correctly. Or, you can write us a note about the challenge on our UC IPM Urban/Community Facebook page.
Now for the answers:
A. Harlequin bugs are...
Easter often brings to mind colorful eggs hiding in the landscape for children to find. At UC IPM, we thought you'd want to know about eggs already hiding in your yard: insect and spider eggs!
Many insects and spiders have strangely shaped and colorful eggs that you may have never noticed. Below are some photos of these interesting eggs and our own version of a spring time egg hunt.
We challenge you to guess which adult insect or spider belongs to the following eggs and egg cases. Some are beneficials, while others might be pests. Extra “points” awarded for being able to know the difference! Answers will be posted on Tuesday afternoon. Good luck!
Insect and Spider Eggs and Egg...
- Author: Janet Hartin
[From the Spring issue of the UC IPM Retail Nursery & Garden Center News]
Most disorders impacting landscape trees result from abiotic (non-living) disorders rather than attacks from biotic (living) pests like plant pathogens, insects, and vertebrates. Damage caused by abiotic and biotic disorders can appear similar, making diagnosis difficult at times. For example, discolored leaves on a Ficus nitida tree could be due to drought stress, a fungus, or a nutrient toxicity or...
