Did you know that June 5-11 is National Bed Bug Awareness Week? If you are planning a summer vacation or have kids coming home from college, keep in mind that bed bugs can be found anywhere that humans frequent, like hotels, dorm rooms, summer camps, and hostels.
California, as well as many other states, has seen a resurgence in bed bugs in the last decade, so it's important to be aware of bed bugs and how to prevent or control infestations of these very unwelcome insects.
Watch UC IPM's short YouTube videos to help you search for bed bugs in your hotel room before you settle in, and in your home if you think you have the bugs. You'll definitely want a big screen to watch these videos!
May is Lyme Disease Awareness month, so what better time to tell you about the updated Pest Note: Lyme Disease in California.
This updated publication, by authors Robert S. Lane and Anne Kjemtrup, contains new information on incidents of Lyme disease in California.
You can read about the main carrier of Lyme disease, the western blacklegged tick, including the biology of the tick, specific habitats (dense woods and trails with leaf litter), places and times of the year where bites from disease-carrying ticks are...
[From the April-May 2016 issue of the UC IPM Green Bulletin]
A downy mildew caused by the fungus Peronospora mesembryanthemi has recently been confirmed by the USDA-APHIS from a red apple ice plant (Aptenia cordifolia) sample collected in San Diego. Since this first finding in San Diego County in summer 2015, the disease has spread to Orange, San Bernardino, and Ventura counties and is now found in the Goleta area in Santa Barbara County.
Peronospora mesembryanthemi was first reported from South Africa and...
/span>[From the April-May 2016 issue of the UC IPM Green Bulletin]
The Erythrina stem borer (ESB) (sometimes also known as the Erythrina twig borer), Terastia meticulosalis, a potentially devastating moth pest of Erythrina spp. (coral trees), has been sighted numerous times in southern California in the latter half of 2015, from San Diego to Ventura.
Erythrina, a member of the Fabaceae (bean family) encompasses about 112 species and includes some of our most useful, valuable, well adapted, and spectacular flowering trees,...
/span>World Migratory Bird Day (May 10) is a yearly event to help promote awareness about migratory birds and their habitats. The campaign celebrates the migration of birds across countries and continents and focuses on their conservation.
However, during their migration, these birds may cause problems for occupants in urban areas. The birds may nest in colonies on buildings and other structures and their activities can be a nuisance.
Laws that Protect Birds
If migratory bird activities are causing issues in your building, make sure you know the law before you take any action. Certain birds that nest on dwellings may be protected under the
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