- Author: Lauren Fordyce
Did you know that UC IPM has an online tool that provides month-by-month pest prevention and management tips? It's called the Seasonal Landscape IPM Checklist! You can select your region of California to view activities to do in the landscape each month. You can also subscribe to receive an email at the beginning of each month for your designated region.
Follow these general tips for the month of January. To view more tips specific to your region, visit the checklist on the UC IPM website.
- Monitor for damage and pests such as
It's #GivingTuesday! – a global day of giving that harnesses the collective power of individuals to celebrate generosity.
If you've utilized the extensive UC IPM website and our free publications, watched one of our webinars or videos, read our newsletter, or shared our social media posts on Facebook or Instagram, you've seen how #GivingTuesday donations help produce important information, tools, and trainings...
Peach leaf curl is a fungal disease that only affects peach and nectarine trees. The fungus causes distorted, reddened leaves to appear on the tree in the spring. While many peach and nectarine trees don't begin to show obvious symptoms of peach leaf curl until the spring, the time to manage the disease is in late fall and winter.
If left untreated for several years, trees can decline and need to be removed. In some cases, peach leaf curl can affect the quality of fruit too.
To effectively control peach leaf curl, spray an appropriate fungicide in the fall or winter, after leaf drop but before flower buds swell in the spring. The fungal spores overwinter on peach and nectarine twigs and flower buds. If left...
Some pest problems can be easily handled at home yourself. But if your pest issue is a bit more serious, or you don't have the time or tools to address it yourself, hiring a pest control company might be your best option. Pest management professionals are trained in pest control regulations and methods as well as the principles of integrated pest management (IPM). They can accurately identify your pest and get rid of the problem safely and effectively. While their services may seem costly, the investment can actually save you time and money in the long term.
Before hiring a pest control company, try to do some research on your suspected pest and its management. Consult the
Many of us at UC IPM are cat lovers and owners. Cats are popular household pets that bring joy and companionship to many families. Feral cats, on the other hand, can cause problems in our communities and around our homes and gardens.
Feral cats are unsocialized, unowned cats that live outdoors. The problems they can cause are well documented. Feral cats are not treated by owners or veterinarians so they can carry contagious diseases like flea-borne typhus and rabies, and parasites like hookworm and fleas which can affect pets, humans, and other animals. Cats are also well-known hunters of songbirds and can significantly impact wildlife populations. While feral cats hunt, they do not completely control populations of house mice...