- Author: Elaine Lander
Beneficial insects can provide a lot of support in the garden. Natural enemies, which include predators, parasites, and pathogens, reduce pest populations and can help prevent damage to plants. Pollinators such as honeybees, native bees, butterflies, beetles, and other insects are essential for many vegetables you may be growing.
Natural Enemies
You may not have noticed many of these parasites, pathogens, and predators that help control pests in the garden, but they are there! Lady beetles (ladybugs), lacewings, and predaceous ground beetles are some common predators that you may find in your garden...
/h2>On Wednesday, April 8, UC Ag Experts Talk will be hosting a webinar titled From Integrated Pest Management to Integrated Pest and Pollinator Management: An Update on Current Research on Pollinator Health.
This is a 2.5 hrs in-person meeting converted into a webinar. You will hear about the current research to keep bees healthy from leading experts in the field - Dr. Quinn McFrederick and Dr. Boris Baer from UC Riverside. The webinar will start at 9 am. It will consist of two presentations...
Saturday, August 18 is National Honey Bee Day! Many people are concerned about the health of honey bees, and rightly so, as there has been a decline in their populations during the last decade.
This year on National Honey Bee Day, learn how you can protect honey bees by choosing plants for your landscape that bees prefer visiting to collect pollen and by avoiding the use of pesticides that can be toxic to bees.
For specific details about what else you can do, read the article What Can Gardeners do to Help Honey Bees.
Resources
Bee...
If you see large black or golden-brown bees flying in your garden or landscape, don't be alarmed! These insects are most likely carpenter bees, and although their large size and loud buzzing can be intimidating, they are mostly harmless. Males can't sting and females rarely do, and both are considered beneficial because they are pollinators.
However, sometimes carpenter bees bore into lumber or trees to make nests and may damage structural wood or leave unsightly holes and stains. Multiple bees may use a common entry hole, tunneling several feet into wood to create chambers for their offspring.
The best way to manage carpenter bees boring into wood is through prevention. Use hardwoods in structures where possible...
- Author: Karey Windbiel-Rojas
In observance of National Pollinator Week, we thought we'd share how you can manage pests around your home, garden, and landscape and still protect pollinators.
Natural enemies (predators, parasites, and pathogens) reduce pest populations and help prevent damage to plants. Pollinators such as domesticated honey bees, wild bees, and other pollinating insects, are essential in the production of many of the fruits, vegetables, and nuts we grow in California, both in our backyards and in commercial agriculture.
Natural enemies and pollinators can be harmed by pesticides...