While working outside, gardeners and farmers may discover pest problems they need to answer quickly. To meet this need, the University of California Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources has recently published the Vegetable Pest Identification for Gardens and Small Farms card set.

This travel-sized guide is a convenient and quick way to keep a pest management reference in your pocket. The set of 53 full-color cards contains photos and information about common insect and mite pests as well as plant diseases, nematodes, abiotic disorders, weeds, and vertebrate pests. The cards focus on sustainable pest management for vegetables, melons, fruit trees, and other crops commonly grown in small-scale farms and backyard gardens. Also included is information on general predators, lady beetles, parasites, and insect pathogens to help you identify “good bugs” in the garden and farm.

Vegetable Pest Identification for Gardens and Small Farms is based on the best-selling book Pests of the Garden and Small Farm. The cards were created by Mary Louise Flint, Andrew Sutherland, and Karey Windbiel-Rojas from the UC Statewide IPM Program. Order your card set today from the UC ANR Catalog online.

New! Vegetable Pest Identification cards

I'm excited to announce the brand new Vegetable Pest Identification for Gardens and Small Farms card set is available! This is a handy, quick reference that focuses on sustainable pest management for vegetables, melons, fruit trees, and other crops commonly grown in small-scale farms and backyard gardens.

The cards were compiled by Mary Louise Flint, Andrew Sutherland, and myself, and they cover common insect and mite pests as well as pathogens, nematodes, abiotic disorders, weeds, and vertebrate pests. You'll also find information on general predators, lady beetles, parasites, and insect pathogens to help you identify “good bugs” in the garden. Based on the bestselling Pests of the Garden and Small Farm, this set of 53 colorful, pocket-sized cards is a must have.

Order your copy today from the UC ANR Catalog.

Snails and slugs can be destructive pests in gardens and landscapes when they devour entire seedlings or chew holes in leaves, flowers, fruit, and even the bark of plants.

Manage these pests by getting rid of their hiding places, setting up traps, or planting resistant plants.

For more information about effective ways to manage snails and slugs, read the newly revised Pest Notes: Snails and Slugs by Cheryl Wilen, Area IPM Advisor, San Diego, Orange, and Los Angeles counties; and Mary Louise Flint, Extension Entomologist Emerita, UC Davis and UC IPM.

Goldspotted oak borer. First identified in eastern San Diego County in 2004, the goldspotted oak borer, Agrilus auroguttatus, has killed over 25,000 California native red oaks since its arrival and has now been detected in Riverside County. Larvae feed deep within the phloem, and adults are rarely seen. Infestations are recognized by the presence of D-shaped exit holes on trees, often accompanied by bark staining and crown decline. There are currently no good ways to manage the pest in moderate to severely infested trees. Contact your agricultural commissioner if you find infestations outside the known infested area.

For more information on this pest, infestation zones, and ways you can help limit the spread, see the University of California Goldspotted Oak Borer web site and UC IPM Pest Notes: Goldspotted Oak Borer.

 

[Text taken from the original article “Exotic Pests Invade California Landscapes” by Mary Louise Flint]