- Author: Karey Windbiel-Rojas
We have received several questions lately from people who've found large, strange looking insects in their garden and landscape. What are these alien-like creatures? Are they good, bad, do they bite?
They are Jerusalem crickets, also sometimes called sand cricket, niña de la tierra (child of the earth), potato bug, and stone cricket.
Jerusalem crickets are relatives of crickets, grasshoppers, and katydids. These large insects can be up to two inches long and have heads that somewhat resemble a human head. Their head and body are amber colored, with dark stripes on the abdomen, long antennae, and no wings. Their thick legs are...
[From the August 2016 issue of the UC IPM Green Bulletin]
The South American palm weevil (SAPW), Rhynchophorus palmarum, was recently discovered in a Canary Island date palm in San Ysidro, southern San Diego County.
Twenty additional Canary Island date palms in the San Ysidro area appear to be infested, but have not yet been confirmed.
Weevil Biology
The biology of SAPW is similar to the red palm weevil that was eradicated from Laguna Beach, Orange County, between 2010–2012. The adult of the South...
/h2>/span>- Author: Niamh Quinn
[From the August 2016 issue of UC IPM's Retail Nursery & Garden Center IPM News]
In many cities across California, urban coyote conflicts appear to be rising. Recent analysis of coyote reports from several entities in southern California has shown that coyote conflicts are generally much higher during the pup-rearing (May–August) and dispersal seasons (September–December), compared with the breeding season (January–April). It is unclear whether this is due to territoriality issues, increased human conflict due to increased coyote activity, increases in energy demands on coyotes when...
- Author: Karey Windbiel-Rojas
[From the August 2016 issue of the UC IPM Retail Newsletter]
Concerns over the Zika virus have been all over the news lately, so you may be getting questions about mosquito repellents and how customers can protect themselves from mosquitoes.
The Zika virus is spread to people mainly through the bite of an infected mosquito, mostly Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus. People can also get the Zika virus through sexual contact with an infected person, and the virus can also be passed from a pregnant woman to her developing fetus, which can cause a serious birth defect called...
- Author: Cheryl Reynolds
[From the December 2016 issue of the UC IPM Green Bulletin]
School is already back in session for many children in districts throughout California, and several others will be starting back to school in the next couple of weeks. While students and teachers were enjoying summer break, an amendment to the Healthy Schools Act (HSA) went into effect on July 1st. It requires teachers, custodians, administrators, other staff or volunteers, and licensed pest management professionals applying any pesticide (this includes disinfectants and...
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