- Author: Jeannette Warnert
Cockroaches, ants and flies are three common outdoor pests that will enter homes when they have the opportunity, said UC Cooperative Extension urban integrated pest management (IPM) advisor Andrew Sutherland.
Oriental cockroaches, usually black or dark brown, are found throughout the U.S. They live and breed in dark, damp outdoor locations. Reddish-brown Turkestan cockroaches, originally from central Asia, are now well established in California. They live outside eating decaying plant and animal matter, finding safe harbor in water meter, irrigation and electrical boxes, cracks and crevices. American cockroaches live in warm and humid underground structures, such as sewers and storm drains.
If your home isn't well-sealed, they will walk right in.
Sutherland recommends using IPM strategies to prevent cockroach infestations, starting with prevention. Reduce moisture around the home, especially within the first couple of yards of the perimeter. Remove as much food as possible from around the home.
“You never want to leave pet food outside. If you have a fruit tree, make sure the fruit is not accumulating in the yard,” he said.
Add door sweeps or door brushes to close the gap underneath doors. Garages should be sealed with a flexible threshold seal.
“Spraying cockroaches with pesticides will not fix the problem,” he said. “If you have exterior doors with a one-inch gap, it doesn't matter how many pesticides you apply to cockroaches, they are still going to come in through the door. If you want to treat cockroaches with pesticides, bait works best.”
Readily available gel and granular baits are very effective.
Ants
Argentine ants are native to South America, but they have been introduced all over the globe. The tiny black insect lives in large colonies, so their trails can resemble crowded superhighways. Researchers have discovered that they tend to enter homes two times of the year: When the first rain of the season floods their nests, and when it is hot and dry in the summer.
“Sometimes they will even move their entire brood into a protected area indoors, within a wall or cabinet void,” Sutherland said. “Argentine ants live and breed outside. If you're seeing them indoors, it's because they are foraging on a resource or they're temporarily moving their colony to avoid inhospitable conditions.”
The best control strategy is prevention. Irrigated landscape favors Argentine ants. A drought-tolerant or xeriscape landscape will be less attractive to them. Removing food sources is more difficult with ants. Sap-sucking insects like aphids, mealybugs, whiteflies and soft scale deposit a sweet, sticky residue that ants love.
“If you're able to control the sap-sucking insects, you'll control the ants. Likewise, if you control ants, you'll probably see a reduction in sap-sucking insects,” he said.
Sutherland suggests avoiding regular pesticide spray programs for pest control because of the ecological damage that results when runoff flows into storm drains, creeks and other waterways. As with cockroaches, baits can be very effective.
“Ants are social insects. If an ant consumes a bit of insecticidal bait, it's going to share it with its nestmates. With baits you can actually kill an entire ant colony, where with sprays, at best you're going to kill the ants that cross chemical,” Sutherland said.
Sometimes, you might have an “ant emergency,” a swarm of ants that suddenly appears inside.
“There are safe steps to take,” Sutherland said. “I keep a spray bottle with a 10% soap solution. I spray it wherever I see ants and wipe them off. This works better than a contact insecticide because you also erase the pheromone trail the ants are using to find food or water. “
Many species of colorful metallic blowflies are found the world over. To control them, turn to prevention.
“Blowflies really like pet waste,” Sutherland said. “One deposit of waste can sustain a lot of flies. If you have pets, pick up and dispose of their waste.”
As a secondary control, be diligent with structural exclusion. Make sure the doors are closed, window screens are in good repair and screen doors fit well. You can buy aerosol cans of insecticide in home stores, which kills on contact as insects fly through mist. But it is cheaper and safer to kill them with a fly swatter or rolled up paper.
Learn more:
Summertime Household Pests, by Andrew Sutherland, UC IPM webinar on YouTube
UC IPM Pest Notes:
Cockroaches
Ants
Flies
Dozens of other pests
- Author: Belinda Messenger-Sikes
Yellow nutsedge grows throughout California while purple nutsedge can be found mostly in the south of the state and the Central Valley. Once established, nutsedge is difficult to control because it forms tubers in the soil that can live up to three years. The best approach is to prevent the weed's establishment and spread.
Purple nutsedge. (Photo: Joseph DiTomaso)The two most common weedy species of nutsedge in California are yellow nutsedge, Cyperus esculentus, and purple nutsedge, C. rotundus. Yellow nutsedge grows throughout California, while purple nutsedge is more often found in the southern coastal and desert portions of the state as well as the Central Valley.
Yellow nutsedge produces round, smooth, brown or black tubers that can be up to 7/16 inch (11 mm) wide at maturity. Only a single tuber forms at the end of a rhizome, and the tubers have a pleasant almond taste.
Red or red-brown scales cover purple nutsedge tubers. The tubers grow in chains with several tubers on a single rhizome, and they have a bitter taste. Purple nutsedge tubers are typically up to 1/2 inch (10-12 mm) wide but can be 7/16 to 1-1/3 inch (10 to 35mm) long.
The best approach for avoiding nutsedge problems is to prevent establishment of the weed in the first place. Once established, nutsedge plants are difficult to control.
To help you identify and better manage this troublesome weed, UC IPM has updated the Pest Notes: Nutsedge. This fact sheet was revised by UCCE San Diego Area Integrated Pest Management Advisor Emeritus, Cheryl Wilen. Updates include additional nonchemical control methods and herbicides that are effective for early nutsedge infestations.
This article was first published in the UC IPM Pests in the Urban Landscape blog.
- Author: Trina Kleist, UC Davis
Field day offers examples, tips for solving the mystery
A grower applies an herbicide to his tomato plants, or thinks a neighbor's treatment is drifting over her almond trees. A short time later, the leaves start to bleach or shrivel. Was it the herbicide? Or maybe water stress? Soil nutrients? Perhaps an insect?
Figuring out the causes of crop problems takes detective work, and like solving any mystery, it starts with knowing the signs, gathering evidence and asking questions.
The Diagnosing Herbicide Symptoms field day at UC Davis was an opportunity to see, up close, the shriveled cotton, scorched corn and dying sunflowers that can result when herbicides are applied incorrectly. Using the right herbicide – in the right proportion, at the right time and in the right field – can make the difference between a thriving crop and a financial loss.
A top take-away to avoid problems: “Don't do stuff at night!” laughed Becky Wheeler-Dykes, a UC Cooperative Extension farm advisor attending the June 26 event to better serve growers in Glenn, Tehama and Colusa counties. “The packages look the same. People grab the wrong jug.” And then, disaster.
Instructors were Brad Hanson, professor of Cooperative Extension; and Kassim Al-Khatib, the Melvin D. Androus endowed professor for weed science; both in the Department of Plant Sciences. They were joined by John Roncoroni, a Cooperative Extension emeritus farm advisor rooted in the department's weed science program. Attendees were a mixture of people from agriculture, industry, government officials, university researchers and Cooperative Extension advisors. The event was hosted by the Weed Research and Information Center, based in the Department of Plant Sciences.
Out in a field west of campus, visitors could see the progression of damage, from control plots with green and healthy crops to plants that looked sadder as herbicide concentrations increased. Visitors could see the patterns of damage for common foliar chemicals such as glyphosate, paraquat, and 2,4-D, as well as soil-applied herbicides from several chemical classes.
“There's a lot of detective work,” said Stephen Chang, a master's student in Hanson's lab aiming for a career in Cooperative Extension. “For example, the company that makes the herbicide says there shouldn't be a problem, but the grower says, there is a problem. This course helps with developing the skills to figure out what happened.”
It might not be the herbicide at all
Detective work and problem-solving frame the approach, Hanson explained. The cause of crop damage can be simple or complex. Like a good mystery, what appears to be a clue can turn out to be a red herring. Professionals need to draw on their inner Sherlock Holmes to observe and document symptoms, look for patterns in the plants and in the field, ask questions, gather information about the larger environment and collect samples.
An herbicidal Agatha Christie would then suggest: What if it's not herbicide damage at all? Participants learned to consider the possibility of insects, pathogens and viruses, as well as problems with water, nutrients, soil condition and even root damage from cultivation practices.
Hanson recalled puzzling over symptoms he found in an orchard. The culprit? “A leaking natural gas line,” he said.
More resources for herbicide issues
Participants also heard from Molly Mathews, deputy agriculture commissioner from Yolo County, on how a field investigation is conducted. Lawyer Robert Davies, of Donahue Davies LLP in Folsom, outlined the basics of what happens when there are lawsuits related to crop damage from herbicide drift.
The Diagnosing Herbicide Symptoms field day is part of a larger program of education and outreach offered through the Weed RIC, said director Julia Stover-Blackburn. It was the first time the event has been offered since the COVID-19 pandemic, she added.
- For more information about field days and resources, visit the Weed RIC webpage.
- For a thorough discussion of herbicide symptoms, visit this page overseen by Al-Khatib and sponsored by University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources.
- This online course follows an earlier version of the Diagnosing Herbicide Symptoms field program.
This story was originally published on the UC Davis Department of Plant Sciences website.
/h3>/h3>/h3>- Author: UC IPM
![IPM logo IPM logo](http://ucanr.edu/blogs/CoastalGardener/blogfiles/107590.png)
Ants—Manage around landscape and building foundations, such as using insecticide baits and trunk barriers.
Aphids—Spray a strong stream of water on small plants or apply insecticidal oils and soaps. Look for and conserve natural enemies like predaceous bugs, lacewings, lady beetles, and syrphids.
Camellia, citrus, gardenia, grape, and other plants adapted to acidic soil—If leaves are yellowing (chlorotic) between green veins, plants may benefit from foliar or soil application of iron and zinc chelate and mulching.
Cherry spotted wing drosophila—Harvest early; apply spinosad when the fruit develops any pink color.
Citrus—Monitor for damage and pests such as leafminers and scales.
Clean up mummies, old fruit, and nuts in and under trees to avoid harboring pests.
Coast redwood dieback—Check for drought-stress-related maladies such as abiotic disorders, bark beetles, fungal diseases, and spider mites. Deep water trees and apply mulch.
Codling moth of apple and pear—Bag fruit. Promptly remove infested and dropped fruit. Apply insecticides only if precisely timed.
Compost—Turn and keep it moist. Remember to add a carbon source such as straw or wood shavings.
Cover fruit trees, berries, and grapes with netting to exclude birds and other vertebrate pests.
Deter borers—Deep water trees adapted to summer rainfall, e.g., fruit and nut trees. Protect trunks and roots from injury and avoid pruning, except for hazardous trees and certain pests and plants that warrant summer pruning. Paint trunk and scaffolds with white interior latex paint diluted with equal water.
Eutypa dieback and gummosis—Prune apricots and cherries during dry days instead of winter pruning to avoid these diseases.
Fertilize caneberries, citrus, deciduous fruit trees, palms, and heavily-flowering shrubs with slow-release product if not done in March or April.
Fire safe landscape—LEAN: Thin out thick vegetation and eliminate fuel ladders that allow fire to climb up trees. CLEAN: Mow grasses and trim shrubs. Remove dry, resinous, or dead plants and flammable debris. Cut branches back 15 to 20 feet from buildings. Use non-combustible surfaces for walkways, patios, and driveways. GREEN: Landscape using low-growing, non-woody plants.
Grape diseases—Monitor for powdery mildew, Eutypa dieback, Phomopsis cane, and leaf spot. Prune, remove, or treat as appropriate.
Implement disease and insect control for apples, pears, stone fruits, nut trees, and deciduous landscape trees and shrubs such as roses.
Lightly prune roses to promote fall flowering.
Mosquitoes—Eliminate standing water, e.g., in gutters, drain pipes, and flowerpots. Place Bacillus thuringiensis subspecies israelensis in birdbaths and ponds to selectively kill mosquito larvae.
Mulch—Apply organic mulch where thin or bare soil beneath trees and shrubs.
Petal blight of azalea, rhododendron, and camellia—Remove and discard old flowers. Apply fresh organic mulch beneath plants.
Prune deciduous trees and shrubs that need pruning, e.g., apple, crape myrtle, pear, rose, spirea, and stone fruits. Make cuts properly to encourage good form and structure. Remove dead, diseased, and borer-infested wood. Except certain pests and host plants warrant summer pruning, e.g., shothole borer, apricot, and cherry.
Rose pests—Manage or take preventive actions, such as for aphids and powdery mildew.
Scale insects—If damage has been unacceptable, monitor the crawler stage, and when abundant, apply horticultural oil or another insecticide.
Stone fruit pests—Monitor for pests such as aphids, borers, brown rot, caterpillars, powdery mildew, and scale insects.
Weeds—Manage weeds using nonchemical methods such as hoeing, handweeding, mowing, or mulch.
Yellowjackets—Place Place out and maintain lure traps or water traps.
- Author: Ann Edahl
There are hundreds of varieties of mint. The two most common are peppermint (Mentha piperata) and spearmint (Mentha spicata). Peppermint is used mostly for cooking, flavoring, and oils — for example, in gum, soaps and candy. Spearmint is often used fresh, such as in teas, other drinks and sauces (mint sauce, anyone?).
Other mint types that are usually easy to find include apple mint, pineapple mint and chocolate mint. And yes, chocolate mint, a type of peppermint, really does smell like a chocolate mint when you rub a leaf between your fingers!
Mint is a hardy perennial, meaning the plant comes back every year, and it can handle temperatures well below freezing. Depending on the variety, mint plants grow about one- to two-feet tall. They can grow in lots of different types of soil but prefer rich soil. Mint grows in full sun to part shade and needs moderate water. Its ability to thrive in part shade is a plus for many gardeners.
Although mint is often disease and pest free, it can be susceptible to rust and powdery mildew, two diseases caused by fungi. Some insects can also cause damage to mint, including aphids, leafhoppers, thrips, spider mites, mint caterpillar and mint root borer. See the University of California IPM (integrated pest management) mint page, linked below, for more information and tips on controlling these diseases and pests.
How do you grow mint? Mint spreads naturally by runners, by what we call “layering” — where the mint begins rooting where the horizontal stems you see growing above the soil surface touch the soil. You can also grow mint from seed, by dividing the plant and with root cuttings — mint roots in water quite easily and you might even have luck with rooting it by sticking a stem of mint directly into the soil. Which brings us to the biggest point to consider when deciding to grow mint: its tendency to spread easily and fast!
Mint is vigorous and will spread rapidly if there is no physical barrier to stop it. To help prevent mint from becoming a nuisance, the solution is to plant it in a container. The pot should be at least six inches deep, and placing a saucer or some type of paver between the pot and the ground will prevent the mint from eventually escaping through the drainage hole. You will want to give it a good watering when the soil is dry, especially during the heat of the summer. The smaller the pot, the faster the soil will dry out. But even if you wait too long and the mint wilts, chances are it will come back. It is one hearty (and hardy) herb!
Or you can grow mint in the ground but in a large pot buried in the soil. When burying the pot, do not bury it flush with the soil, but make sure to leave a one- to two-inch lip sticking out of the ground. This will help keep the mint contained. Even then, be on the watch for mint runners trying to escape over the lip since it really, really wants to spread! Also, if planting mint in a container in the ground, make sure it's a sturdy pot. Terra cotta is okay but may disintegrate over time. Five-gallon-size paint buckets are the perfect size, deep enough that the roots of the mint cannot easily escape. Be sure to add drainage holes on the bottom if you go this route.
Now that you've planted your mint, you'll soon be ready to harvest! It's best to wait to harvest after the plant has reached three to four inches. Young leaves will have the best flavor although you can harvest at any time. To conserve the flavor in the leaves, pinch off any flowers that form.
And you're set! On our next 100-degree day, go out in the morning, pick some of those mint leaves — spearmint and apple mint are two of my favorites — steep them for a few hours in a pitcher of ice water and get ready to be refreshed!
Read more:
UC IPM. Pests in Gardens and Landscapes: Mint — Mentha ssp.
UCANR Cooperative Extension–Sacramento County. Environmental Horticulture Notes: Culinary Herb Profiles. EHN 70.