Gophers are well-known and certainly unwelcome pests in landscapes, gardens, lawns, and athletic turf. More correctly called pocket gophers, these rodents mostly remain hidden underground in tunnels and feed on plants from below, sometimes pulling whole plants into their tunnels. They prefer herbaceous plants but will eat a wide range of vegetation.
A single gopher can destroy a landscape quickly, so control measures need to begin as soon as the gopher is detected. Mounds of fresh soil are usually the first indication of their presence. Effective integrated management of pocket gophers relies largely on exclusion measures and trapping, although poison baits are also available.
Read more about gophers, their behavior, and...
- Author: Lisa Estridge
- Posted by: Elaine Lander
Do you work at or service a school or multiple schools? If so, the California Department of Pesticide Regulation (DPR) is seeking your input about the Healthy Schools Act. Feedback from stakeholders—school district staff, child care providers, parents, teachers, and pest management professionals—is being collected throughout 2019 by DPR.
What is the Healthy Schools Act?
When pesticides are used at schools and child care centers in California, the Healthy Schools Act defines requirements for school and child care center staff, pest management professionals, and DPR. The law was originally passed by the California...
- Author: Cheryl A. Wilen
- Posted by: Elaine Lander
Applying the wrong amount of pesticide can result in poor control if not enough is used; too much being applied can lead to waste and possibly illegal usage. If pest control is insufficient, the end result might be a second application that will be more expensive due to the cost of labor involved. If the pesticide is overused, the cost of the extra material is one consideration, but there might also be plant damage and a higher risk of pesticide moving off-site in runoff or leaching into groundwater.
In addition to reading the label carefully and making sure that pesticides are not washed off into storm drains, the applicator must be sure equipment is properly calibrated so that the proper amount of pesticide is applied. Poor...
- Author: Karey Windbiel-Rojas
[Originally published in the Winter 2019 issue of the Green Bulletin]
What is UC IPM?
UC IPM is a statewide program within the University of California Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources. We are dedicated to helping all Californians manage pests around the home, in the landscape, on the farm, in schools, and even on the pet. Our philosophy focuses on long-term prevention of pests or their damage through using a combination of techniques such as building out pests, modifying maintenance practices, excluding pests, using...
/h2>/span>- Author: Karey Windbiel-Rojas
You've probably heard it's important to read the label on a pesticide bottle, but you might not know why or what to even look for on the label.
Pesticide labels are legal documents providing directions on how to mix, apply, store, and dispose of a pesticide product. This means that using a pesticide in a manner inconsistent with its labeling is a violation of federal law. Make sure you always...