When you hear the term “pesticide,” what comes to mind? Do you understand what pesticides are and, more importantly, how to use them correctly?
A pesticide is any material (natural or synthetic) used to control, prevent, kill, suppress, or repel pests. “Pesticide” is a broad term that includes insecticides, herbicides (weed or plant killers), algaecides (algae and moss), fungicides (plant diseases), rodenticides, miticides (mite control), and molluscicides (snails and slugs). Even antimicrobial products (such as bleach and sanitary wipes) that kill bacteria on surfaces and chlorine added to pools are pesticides. If a product has a U.S. Enviromental Protection Agency (EPA) Registration Number on...
Now until June 17, you can purchase Pests of the Garden and Small Farm together with the Vegetable Pest Identification for Gardens and Small Farms and save a bundle! Use this link http://anrcatalog.ucanr.edu/Items.aspx?search=specials. For detailed information about the book and card set, read below.
Fresh Off the Press—Pests of the Garden and Small Farm, 3rd edition
A new edition of the best-selling Pests of the Garden and Small Farm: A Grower's Guide to Using Less Pesticide is now available for garden enthusiasts and small farmers. Authored by Mary Louise...
- Author: Andrew Mason Sutherland
[From the Summer issue of the UC IPM Retail Nursery & Garden Center News]
Don't let the bed bugs bite? That's easier said than done, it seems. Bed bugs (Figure 1) continue to be important household pests globally, driving a growing sector of the pest control industry. Professionals have access to effective insecticides and specialized techniques, such as heat treatments, to control bed bug infestations. These services, however, can be expensive: a recent survey revealed the average cost of professional insecticide treatments and heat treatments to be $425 and $1,400,...
If you've ever had ants come indoors, you know what a nuisance they can be when they crawl across kitchen countertops, invade your pet's food bowl, and get into garbage cans.
So, what should you do? Outsmart the ants.
Ants are usually looking for food, water and shelter. Although spraying a pesticide may seem like an easy solution, this won't get rid of the reason the ants are there, and they will be back.
Instead, here are some other things you can do to keep them out and make your house less attractive to ants:
- Find where the ants are entering, then caulk cracks and crevices both indoors and out.
- Wipe up ant trails with soapy water as soon as you see them.
- Store food...
- Author: Cheryl A. Wilen
[From the UC Weed Science blog]
In what has been dubbed “dandelion-gate,” members of the Washington State legislature spent 20 minutes complaining about weeds on the capital's lawn. “In all the years I've been here I've never seen so many dandelions all over,” Sen. Mike Padden (R) said. “Is it your policy not to treat dandelions?” The department responsible for landscaping responded that the legislature cut its budget and now it only has 15 people covering the nearly 500 acre campus.
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