- 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: Elaine Lander
- Author: Karey Windbiel-Rojas

While we continue to spend more time than usual indoors, you may have noticed a few unexpected (and perhaps unwanted) co-occupants like ants, cockroaches, or mice. Luckily, UC IPM has a series of fact sheets called Pest Notes to help you identify and manage hundreds of different pests in and around the home, only a portion of which might come indoors.
Any room in the home can attract and harbor indoor pests including kitchens, pantries, bathrooms, closets, storage areas, or other living spaces. Prevent and reduce indoor pest problems by cleaning and decluttering indoor spaces. This removes access to food, water, and shelter for pests such as ants, carpet beetles,...
- Author: Andrew Mason Sutherland
- Posted by: Elaine Lander

Most pest management professionals have served clients who swore they were being bitten by unseen pests. Perhaps the usual suspects (bed bugs, fleas, and mosquitoes) were ruled out by thorough inspection and monitoring devices. But what about mites? There are several species of mites known to bite humans within homes and other structures, many times causing significant physical symptoms and psychological distress. Clients can easily fall prey to misinformation online when learning about these tiny pests, however, so be prepared to educate them and help them solve their problem.
In all cases, biting mites found indoors are blood-sucking nest parasites of other animals living...

- Author: Karey Windbiel-Rojas

October is a perfect time to talk about spiders! People decorate for Halloween with scary images of spiders and webs. Many people fear spiders but what you may not know is that they are helpful in our homes and landscapes.
Spiders you might find wandering in your home or hanging out in your garden are beneficial predators, eating pest insects like flies, mosquitoes, and numerous other undesirable bugs in and around landscapes.
Whether you are curious as to what kind of spider you found or you are looking for ways to get rid of them, UC IPM has the information you need in the newly revised free publication, Pest Notes: Spiders. Author...