- (Public Value) UCANR: Promoting healthy people and communities
- Author: Lauren Fordyce
While preparing your garden for planting this spring, you may have found white grubs in the soil. Discovering these fairly large, white grubs can be alarming, but they usually won't cause significant plant damage.
Grubs are the soil-dwelling larvae of beetles in the Scarabaeidae family, also simply called scarabs. They are generally curled in a C-shape with whitish bodies and 6 legs. Grubs of some species may be less than 0.5 inch long, while other species may be up to 2 inches. Some grubs feed on living plant material while others do not.
Masked chafer beetle grubs are often what people find in garden beds in California. If you find large grubs in compost, those are likely the larvae of the green...
Below are answers to UC IPM's 2024 insect Easter egg hunt! Click on the name of each insect to learn more.
These eggs belong to the brown marmorated stink bug (BMSB) a pest of many types of plants and occasional indoor nuisance. BMSB females will lay up to 28 white or pale green eggs in a cluster. There are over 50 stink bug species in California, and some are beneficial predators of other insects while many like BMSB are pests that can damage plants.
- Author: Mackenzie Faith Patton
The invasive pest spotlight focuses on emerging or potential invasive pests in California. In this issue we are covering West Nile virus.
West Nile Virus Facts
West Nile virus disease was first reported in California in 2003 and has become the most common and serious vector-borne disease in California. With the exceptionally wet weather in 2023, reported cases of this mosquito-borne virus doubled compared to the previous year.
West Nile virus is spread by mosquitoes in the genus Culex. Usually, the virus passes between mosquitoes and birds, but mosquitoes can also transmit the virus to humans, horses, and other domestic animals.
Because mosquitoes can get the virus...
- Author: Lauren Fordyce
Follow these general tips for the month of March to prevent pests in the garden and landscape. To view more tips specific to your region, visit the Seasonal Landscape IPM Checklist on the UC IPM website.
- Look for aphids and their natural enemies such as predaceous bugs, lacewings, lady beetles, and syrphid flies. On small plants, spray a strong stream of water or apply insecticidal oils or insecticidal soaps to kill them.
- Author: Lauren Fordyce
If you've used disinfecting wipes to clean surfaces in your home, an herbicide to control weeds in your garden, or insect repellents while on a hike, then you have used a pesticide. A pesticide is any material (natural, organic, synthetic, or even homemade remedies) that is used to control, prevent, kill, or repel a pest. Pesticides are designed to be toxic against certain pests like weeds, insects, or bacteria. But when they are not used properly, pesticides can also be toxic to people and pets, and harm the environment including water quality, pollinators, and natural enemies.
February is National Pesticide Safety Education Month, a time to raise awareness about...
