- Author: Anne Schellman
- Author: Karey Windbiel-Rojas
Pests have popularity contests too. We recently looked at how many visits our popular Pest Notes publication series received in 2017.
If you aren't familiar, the UC IPM Pest Notes series are science-based publications written and reviewed by experts on specific pest or management topics for California. UC IPM has 169 Pest Notes with some being more popular than others.
Here are the 20 most visited titles in 2017:
1- Carpet Beetles
For the third year in a row, carpet beetles was the most viewed of the UC IPM Pest Notes series on our website! This commonly occurring indoor pest can be accidentally brought into your home on cut flowers or through open doors...
Spotting a small moth fluttering around your closet then discovering damaged fabric or other items can be shocking. Upon further inspection, you may even see the silken webs spun by the larvae, or the droppings they leave behind.
Clothes moth larvae attack wool clothing, carpets, rugs, upholstered furniture, furs, and much more. They will even feed on synthetic or cotton blends of fabric if they also contain wool.
Sometimes people mistake clothes moths for pantry pests (food and grain-infesting moths). Clothes moths are small, about ¼ long, and only flutter about the area they have infested, typically around around bedrooms and where...
- Author: Karey Windbiel-Rojas
Conenose or ‘kissing bugs' (Triatoma spp.) are in the Reduviidae family, a group of insects known for a sturdy body and large proboscis. Most reduviids are beneficial as insect predators, and include various species of assassin bugs. Conenose bugs are easily confused with other assassin bugs as well as bugs with similar body shapes from other insect families.
Kissing bugs are not new insects to California or the United States, but there has been a good deal of press about them in recent years because conenose bugs can vector a protozoan, Trypanosoma cruzi, that causes Chagas disease in humans. While conenose bugs do...
Campers and hikers are often warned to avoid poison oak in summer by looking out for green plants with glossy leaflets of three. However, as weather cools, the appearance of the plant changes, making it more difficult to identify.
In fall, poison oak leaves turn attractive shades of orange and red, which then drop off in winter. The bare branches still contain allergens capable of causing a rash in sensitive individuals who brush up against it. In some cases, people may unknowingly use the plant's branches for firewood or to roast marshmallows, exposing themselves to the poisonous oils via smoke particle inhalation.
Next time you plan a trip outdoors, make sure to read the
California ground squirrels are common throughout much of California and may be found living near homes, structures, gardens, and landscapes where they can be a real nuisance. Ground squirrels' damaging habits can include:
- Eating vegetable seedlings and green grasses
- Damaging young shrubs, vines, and trees by gnawing on and girdling trunks
- Eating twigs and leaves
- Burrowing in lawns and landscapes and around tree roots
- Gnawing on plastic sprinkler heads and irrigation lines
Effective ground squirrel management methods vary during the year. In winter, manage populations before breeding seasons begins. Visit the UC IPM publication