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.
 Brown marmorated stink bug eggs. Photo by Jennifer Carr, University of Florida, Bugwood.org |
 Adult (top) and mature nymph of the brown marmorated stink bug. Photo by Stephen Ausmus. |
Caterpillars often lay eggs in large clusters on leaves, but armyworm eggs are laid in fluffy masses on the crowns of seedlings or leaves of older plants. The fuzzy egg mass pictured here belongs to the beet armyworm, a pest of many types of vegetables. They feed on seedlings, can skeletonize leaves, and gouge holes in fruits.
 Beet armyworm egg mass. Photo by Alton N. Sparks, Jr., University of Georgia, Bugwood.org |
 Larva of beet armyworm. Photo by Jack Kelly Clark, UC IPM. |
While not yet found in California, the egg masses of the invasive spotted lanternfly are easily recognized, occurring in groups of 30 to 50 eggs covered in a gray, mud-like covering. It's important to know what these eggs look like as they can easily be transported to new areas on firewood, building materials, trailers, and other flat surfaces.
 Spotted lanternfly egg masses. Photo by Kenneth R. Law, USDA APHIS PPQ, Bugwood.org |
 Adult spotted lanternfly. Photo by Lawrence Barringer, Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, Bugwood.org |
Greenish blisters under the surface of leaves can indicate the presence of glassy winged sharpshooter's eggs, an invasive pest that is found mostly in southern California. Females lay egg masses in groups of 8 to 12 eggs arranged side-by-side under the epidermis of the lower leaf surface of young, fully developed leaves. Shortly after the eggs hatch, the leaf tissue surrounding the egg mass begins to turn brown and remains as a permanent brown scar. Glassy winged sharpshooters can transmit several important, often fatal, plant diseases in California.
 Glassy winged sharpshooter eggs. Photo by Jack Kelly Clark, UC IPM. |
 Glassy-winged sharpshooter leafhopper adult. Photo by Jack Kelly Clark, UC IPM. |
Praying mantid (or mantis) eggs are laid in masses attached to twigs, fences, or other surfaces. Egg masses are frothy and pale when first laid, then dry to a brown, hardened, paper-like material. The egg case pictured here belongs to the Carolina mantid, Stagmomantis carolina, which isn't found in California, but several other species are. Mantids feed on any insects or spiders they can catch, including both pests and beneficials.
 Carolina mantid egg mass. Photo by Whitney Cranshaw, Colorado State University, Bugwood.org |
 Adult Mediterranean mantis. Photo by Jack Kelly Clark, UC IPM. |
The brown, cylindrical eggs of all three species of leaffooted bugs are laid end-to-end in a string-like strand. They are often found along a stem or leaf midrib but may sometimes be found on fruit or other surfaces, as seen in this picture. Most egg masses have 10-15 eggs, although strands of more than 50 have been reported. Leaffooted bugs feed on many types of plants but damage occurs primarily when they feed on fruit or nut crops.
 Leaffooted bug eggs. Photo by David R. Haviland, UCCE. |
 Adult leaffooted bug. Photo by David R. Haviland, UCCE. |
We hope you enjoyed this year's insect Easter egg hunt. Check back next year to test your insect egg identification skills!
- Author: Karey Windbiel-Rojas
After all the winter rains you may find yourself dealing with weeds and struggling to control them. The first step in successfully controlling weeds is knowing what weed you have. Well, you're in luck: the UC IPM website contains many useful resources to help you identify and manage weeds in the garden or landscape.
A great place to start is the Weed Gallery, which contains images and identification tips for more than 150 common weeds.
If you think you know the name of your weed, you can use the common or scientific name to view photos to confirm identification. Just use the “List of All Weeds” link from the main weed gallery page.
If you don't know what the weed is, the gallery will help you identify the plant using visual characteristics. First, narrow your search by choosing “identification” in the weed category—broadleaf, grass, sedge, or aquatic plant. That will show you a collection of photos in that category.
Select the photo of the plant form or leaf characteristic that resembles your weed (Figure 1) to see another sub-menu of weeds that exhibit more traits of your weed. Scrolling over a thumbnail image on this sub-menu will bring up several photos of the weed—as a seedling and mature plant, its flower, and seeds—to further help you identify it.
Once you think you've identified the weed, click on the linked weed name, which will take you to a photo gallery page. Here you will find details about the weed's habitat, growth characteristics, and life stages. For many weeds, there is a link to the Pest Notes that will give you information about its management, both chemical and nonchemical. Each page in the gallery also links to the Calflora website to show where the weed grows in California.
The gallery contains other features as well:
- Want to know more about plants and their parts? Illustrated tutorials distinguish among broadleaf, grass, and sedge plants and define plant parts used in characterizing certain plant species.
- Need to find out what weeds are in your lawns? The broadleaf and grass categories link to an identification key for common turf weeds.
- Didn't find your weed? See the weed identification tool under “More information” to search the UC Weed Research & Information Center (WRIC) technical weed key.
You can find the weed gallery page on the left-hand column of the main Home & Landscape page on the UC IPM web site or from the many weed-related pages. To access the weed gallery directly, visit https://ipm.ucanr.edu/PMG/weeds_intro.html.
Visit UC IPM's Weeds library page to find general weed management tips, individual weed-related Pest Notes, the weed gallery, key to weeds in turf, and other useful resources. https://ipm.ucanr.edu/PMG/menu.weeds.html
[Originally featured in the Spring 2024 edition of the Home & Garden Pest Newsletter]
- Author: Lauren Fordyce
It's time for UC IPM's annual insect Easter egg hunt! Can you guess which insects laid the eggs pictured below? Some may be pests, while others may be beneficial. Leave a comment on this blog post with your guesses, or on our Facebook and Instagram posts.
Answers will be posted on Monday, April 1st.
Photo credits:
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Jennifer Carr, University of Florida, Bugwood.org
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Alton N. Sparks, Jr., University of Georgia, Bugwood.org
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Kenneth R. Law, USDA APHIS PPQ, Bugwood.org
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Jack Kelly Clark, UC IPM
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Whitney Cranshaw, Colorado State University, Bugwood.org
- David R. Haviland, UCCE
Wildlife in California is an important natural resource that many people appreciate in their natural habitats and strive to protect. However, sometimes vertebrate animals can become pests in our homes, gardens, schools, parks, and landscapes and management efforts are needed.
But identifying what has burrowed under the porch, eaten the fruit on your trees, or caused holes in the lawn can be difficult if you don't see the culprit in action. If you think you have an animal pest but are not sure what it is, the new UC IPM Wildlife Pest Identification Tool will help you narrow down potential vertebrate pests using signs such as typical damage, tracks, and droppings (scat).
The wildlife pest identification tool is the newest diagnostic assistance feature on the UC IPM website. Check it out today! Over the next several months, we'll continue making additions and improvements to the tool, including adding more photos and information.
We're looking for your feedback! Please consider taking a quick, anonymous survey to help us serve you better: https://bit.ly/2ZJJVEI
- Author: Belinda J. Messenger-Sikes
Figuring out what's wrong with your plant takes a little detective work. Plants can look unhealthy for a number of reasons, including diseases, pest insects, or even environmental conditions like sunburn, too much water, not enough water, wind damage, and other issues. Start by examining the plant closely for anything out of place. Knowing what the plant should look like will help you determine if there's a problem. Because some pests attack only specific plants, identifying the type of plant, including the variety or cultivar, narrows down disease possibilities.
Diseases caused by a plant pathogen, like a fungus, will look and act differently than something caused by environmental factors. Note the plant's location in the garden or landscape and compare the symptoms to nearby plants. Disease symptoms will usually develop slowly and unevenly on one type of plant. Damage from environmental issues is more likely to appear quickly and be widespread.
If the plant is growing in a preferred location and receiving the right amount of water and fertilizer, it will be less susceptible to disease and environmental disorders.
To learn more about plant diseases and what might be affecting your plant, find your plant in the UC IPM plant disease index. Not sure if you have a disease or another type of pest? Use the plant problem diagnostic tool to help narrow down what's wrong with your plant. Find out more about plant problems on the UC IPM website.
We're looking for your feedback! Please consider taking a quick, anonymous survey to help us serve you better: https://bit.ly/2ZJJVEI
