- (Public Value) UCANR: Safeguarding abundant and healthy food for all Californians
If you recently planted cabbage, broccoli, or kale, (often called Brassicas and cole crops) keep an eye out for cabbageworms!
The adult cabbageworm is a white butterfly with one to four black spots on its wings. They lay eggs individually on the leaves of brassica plants. Larvae are green caterpillars that chew on the leaves and may also damage cabbage heads.
Prevent cabbageworm butterflies from laying eggs on your vegetables by covering plants with a floating row cover or insect netting. Check leaves for tiny cabbageworm eggs and squish them. Cabbageworm caterpillars can also be handpicked or squished. Pesticides such as
Springtime planting is almost here but don't rush to plant seeds until the soil has warmed up! Planting seeds too soon, when the soil is cold and wet, risks losing them to damping-off, a disease caused by fungi and oomycetes in the soil. Learn more about this common disease in the newly updated Pest Notes: Damping-off Diseases in the Garden written by UC IPM Director Dr. Jim Farrar and UCCE emeritus advisor Ed Perry. They cover the biology of the pathogens, identification of the disease, and how to prevent damping-off when growing transplants or seeding directly into the ground.
- Author: Michael Hsu
QFF quarantine in LA, Ventura counties among seven fruit fly quarantines statewide
Residents in multiple Southern California and Northern California counties should not move homegrown fruits and vegetables from their properties to help contain several species of fruit fly that can destroy crops and impact the livelihoods of local farmers.
With sharing and gifting of food integral to the holiday season, the California Department of Food and Agriculture is reminding people to heed the seven active fruit fly quarantines aimed at controlling the
/h3>The black fig fly is a new invasive species recently found in Southern California. It has been found in fig orchards in Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, Santa Barbara, San Bernardino, San Diego, and Ventura counties. This small insect attacks only figs and prefers unripe or unpollinated fruit. The adult female lays eggs inside the fig (Figure 1). The larvae that hatch inside the fig damage the fruit by feeding on it (Figure 2). The larvae will make their way out of the fruit, drop to the soil and pupate. Some may pupate inside the fig.
What can you do?
To prevent the spread of this pest, don't move figs out of the counties known to have the black fig...
/h2>Now is the time for planting cool-season vegetables like broccoli, carrots, and spinach. We are pleased to share new pest management resources for other cool season vegetables including beets, chard, radishes or turnips. If you're planting herbs, we've also added basil,