- Author: Elaine Lander
Annually on February 2, groundhogs get a lot of coverage. Groundhogs, also known as woodchucks, are burrowing rodents often found in the eastern United States. But in California, any shadows from burrowing rodents are unlikely to be a groundhog. Here in the Golden State, you will find other types of burrowing rodents including pocket gophers, ground squirrels, voles, and Norway rats....
- Author: Belinda J. Messenger-Sikes
We took a look at which titles were of greatest interest during the first five months of the COVID-19 pandemic when many Californians were staying home. These are the top ten most viewed Pest Notes from March to August 2020.
#10 Pocket Gophers
Pocket gophers are active all year round but,...
![Adult pocket gopher peeking out of a burrow entrance. [Credit: T. Chalmers]](https://ucanr.edu/blogs/UCIPMurbanpests/blogfiles/62454small.jpg)
Gophers are well-known and certainly unwelcome pests in landscapes, gardens, lawns, and athletic turf. More correctly called pocket gophers, these rodents mostly remain hidden underground in tunnels and feed on plants from below, sometimes pulling whole plants into their tunnels. They prefer herbaceous plants but will eat a wide range of vegetation.
A single gopher can destroy a landscape quickly, so control measures need to begin as soon as the gopher is detected. Mounds of fresh soil are usually the first indication of their presence. Effective integrated management of pocket gophers relies largely on exclusion measures and trapping, although poison baits are also available.
Read more about gophers, their behavior, and...
Summer is all about being outdoors and enjoying camping, swimming, playing, and other activities with family and friends. But it's a real drag when pests such as ants, yellowjackets, or mosquitoes ruin the fun.
When you have a pest problem and want to find a solution quickly, it can be helpful to watch a short video that tells you what you can do. In UC IPM's Video Library, you will find over 30 helpful videos on these and other common pests that are active in summer or other times of the year.
1. Ants: Using a Sticky Barrier to Prevent Ants on Trees and Shrubs
- Author: Anne Schellman
- Author: Karey Windbiel-Rojas
![Larva and adult furniture carpet beetles. [Credit: D-H Choe]](https://ucanr.edu/blogs/UCIPMurbanpests/blogfiles/50653small.jpg)
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...
