- Author: Rick Vetter
If you were to ask an audience of more than a few people if they or anyone they know has ever seen or been bitten by a brown recluse spider in California, many hands would be raised. This is quite remarkable because the brown recluse spider has NEVER established breeding populations in California!
The myth of the brown recluse has been generated and sustained by:
- Physician misdiagnoses (where many skin lesions of diverse non-spider origin are blamed on a non-existent spider)
- Media articles that report claims of horrendous bite injury without proof of spider involvement
- Misidentification of harmless brown spiders as brown recluses by the general public as well as "authorities" who lack...
- Author: Karey Windbiel-Rojas
The UC Statewide IPM Program's online information was recently announced as #5 out of the top 6 pest management online databases by the Northeastern IPM Center!
The infographic shows the top 6 in the nation, but since it's just an image I borrowed, below are the links so you can check out these useful resources yourself.
1. National Integrated Pest Management Database
2. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Registered Pesticides
3.
- Author: Karey Windbiel-Rojas
This article was written for the UC IPM Retail Nursery and Garden Center News, a publication directed at retail nursery store employees. With the recent confirmed human West Nile virus deaths in California, it's important to understand how mosquitoes reproduce and what you can do to prevent them around your home or other areas.
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You've likely heard about ways to get rid of mosquito breeding sites around your home and landscape, as well as how to protect yourself from being bitten. But what should you do if you own or work at a...
[From the Summer issue of the UC IPM Retail Nursery & Garden Center News]
When you use firewood in the great outdoors, be aware that moving firewood can transport tree-killing insects and diseases. Find out more at the following resources:
- “Don't Move Firewood,” a campaign created by the Nature Conservancy, is an informational site aimed at the general public. You can also print posters, brochures, and other handouts.
- The California Firewood Task...
- Author: Cheryl A. Wilen
I recently attended a Santa Ana River Orange County Weed Management Area (SAROCWMA) meeting and there was an opportunity for participants to update the group about new invasive plants as well as give an update on management of these and others. During the discussion, Ron Vanderhoff from the Orange County Native Plant Society (OC-CNPS), reported new findings of a plant I'd never heard of. In fact, when the group was talking about it, I wasn't sure if I heard the name right.
The plant is called stinknet (Oncosiphon piluliferum), which to me sounds like a game played by 10 year olds. However, the California Invasive Plant Council considers it an emerging invasive weed...