- Author: Lauren Fordyce
In February we recognize Valentine's Day, President's Day, and Black History Month, but did you know it is also IPM month?! Join us in celebrating by learning more about integrated pest management (IPM), how you can use it in your everyday life, and the pest management resources and information offered by UC IPM.
What is IPM?
Integrated pest management (IPM) is a more sustainable, environmentally friendly method for managing pests like insects, diseases, weeds, and unwanted wildlife. IPM can be used by anyone: homeowners, tenants, farmers, gardeners, janitors, groundskeepers, professional landscapers and pest control operators, and more.
IPM focuses on the long-term management of pests through prevention and monitoring. This reduces pests reaching damaging levels and becoming difficult to control or requiring pesticide use. One way pests can be prevented outdoors is by providing plants with proper care (water, sunlight, and nutrients). You can prevent pests from coming indoors by sealing gaps around windows and doors. Monitor for pests using tools like sticky traps, or visual inspection.
Once a pest becomes a problem, it must be correctly identified so the correct management solution can be chosen. Many pests can be managed without the use of pesticides. In IPM, we often choose nonchemical solutions first:
- Biological control: the use of natural enemies—predators, parasites, pathogens, and competitors—to controlpests and their damage. Some examples of natural enemies include ladybeetles, lacewings, and spiders.
- Cultural control: practices that limit pests from establishing, reproducing, and living where they're not wanted. These practices can include increased cleanliness, proper storage of food, good plant care, and well-maintained landscape irrigation systems.
- Mechanical or physical control: kill a pest directly, block pests out, or make the environment unsuitable for them. Examples include traps for rodents, mulches for weed management, and flyswatters for flying insects.
Pesticides can still be an important part of IPM, but they should be used in combination with nonchemical solutions for long-term management. Pesticides alone will not solve a pest problem or prevent pests from becoming a problem again later. When pesticides are needed, choose products that are less toxic. Less toxic pesticides are those that pose fewer risks to people, pets, the environment, and natural enemies like ladybeetles. Learn more about less toxic pesticides at https://ipm.ucanr.edu/QT/lesstoxicinsecticidescard.html.
Whether you are trying to control cockroaches in an apartment, weeds in the garden, or diseases on landscape plants, UC IPM has the tools and resources to help you using an IPM approach.
To learn more about integrated pest management, visit https://ipm.ucanr.edu/what-is-ipm/ or view our resources for managing specific home, garden, and landscape pests using IPM at https://ipm.ucanr.edu/PMG/menu.homegarden.html.
/h2>- Author: Julienne Cancio
Saoimanu "Saoi" Sope, UC Agriculture and Natural Resources digital communications specialist, was born on Aunu'u, an island in American Samoa, but raised in Southern California. She attended UC Santa Cruz for her undergraduate degree in film and digital media. While in the program, she felt lost compared to her peers.
“I didn't know what type of stories I wanted to tell through film, especially compared to my other classmates,” Sope said. “For a lot of them, it seemed like they had been planning on being filmmakers their entire life. This major was my backup plan.”
To gain more perspective, she took on a second major in community studies, a unique and interdisciplinary field that prepares students to apply the lessons they learn in the classroom to the real world, through a six-month field study.
Sope completed her field study at the RYSE Youth Center in Richmond, teaching Black and Brown youth how film can be used as a tool to navigate their trauma. Through this experience, Sope learned about public health, which she pursued in her master's program at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health.
In 2018, Sope learned about UC ANR as an employee of Driscoll's. Her boss at the time coordinated a field trip to the UC ANR office in Davis to learn more about successful agriculture communications. Four years later, in June 2022, Sope joined the Strategic Communications team.
“It was a full-circle moment,” she said. “When UC ANR posted the job description for the role I have now, I saw it and applied like anyone else. Luckily, I got an interview and now I'm here.”
When talking about her interactions with Southern California researchers and staff as a digital communications specialist, Sope attributes much of her success to her culture and upbringing. “I think one of my superpowers is that I can work with people in a way that makes them feel valued and seen and heard,” she explained.
She talked about her Samoan background, one that emphasizes the importance of hospitality. Known as the “happy people of the Pacific,” Samoans are very big on caring for and hosting others, Sope said. “How we treat others reflects our value of community,” she explained.
Sope brings this into the room with the people she is interviewing and to the impactful stories she is writing. She makes it known to her interviewees that their time is valuable and their story is worth reading.
As she grows older, Sope said, she realizes how much of her culture has influenced her work ethic. She appreciates that May is Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month, an opportunity to celebrate and bring recognition to the beautiful and diverse cultures of marginalized communities in the U.S.
Although AAPI communities are clumped into one phrase, it is important to remember that there are many diverse groups of people within this term that are often overlooked, such as Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders.
When speaking about her Polynesian culture, the saying “it takes a village to raise a child” really speaks to Sope. In Samoan culture, it is common for parents to give legal guardianship of their child to other family members. In the U.S., this is formally known as adoption. This is the case for Sope; she was “gifted” to her adoptive mom by her birth mom.
“But one thing that's really beautiful about the Samoan culture is that we always know where we come from,” she said. “We know who our birth parents are…it's not a secret, and it's not shameful.”
Overall, Sope is most proud of coming from a culture that places such a high value on community. This can be seen through her influential writing, bringing awareness and attention to UC ANR staff and researchers who make great contributions to the academic world and the greater SoCal communities.
In conveying their stories, Sope said she hopes they realize and reflect on their potential and the importance of their own work.
- Author: Norma De la Vega
English Summary: Just like leaves falling from the tree that symbolize the end of a cycle, the end of the year approaches, and it is time to celebrate and reflect on the most crucial issues in life. UC ANR experts share tips on how to stay healthy, stay within your budget, and help the environment while enjoying your holidays. |
Pero es también una época llena de fiestas y reuniones en donde hay una abundancia de deliciosos platillos y pastelillos, y consecuentemente es fácil incurrir en los excesos y acumular libras extras. Para evitar, iniciar el año con una “cruda” realidad, educadores de la División de Agricultura y Recursos Naturales, ofrecen tres recomendaciones sencillas y lo primero es cuidar la salud, manteniendo un peso saludable para evitar el sobrepeso y sus consecuencias como diabetes, hipertensión, enfermedades del corazón, y más.
Lo primero es la salud
La buena noticia, es que es posible comer de todo, pero con moderación como señala Margarita Ramírez-Schwarz, educadora de nutrición del Programa Ampliado de Educación sobre Alimentos y Nutrición, EFNEP, en San Diego, quien ofrece tres consejos prácticos antes de ir a alguna celebración:
- Comer algo antes de ir a la fiesta – Muchas personas deciden no desayunar ni almorzar para llegar a la fiesta a comer de todo, pero lo que ocurre es que acaban consumiendo muchísimas calorías.
- Beber suficiente agua – Hidratarse es importante porque si bebe suficiente agua cuando llegue a la fiesta consumirá menos sodas que contienen muchas calorías.
- Mantenerse activos – El ejercicio ayuda a prevenir que se acumulen las libras durante los días festivos.
No gaste demasiado para evitar estrés y problemas familiares
Investigaciones han mostrado que la salud financiera es parte de la salud mental, de ahí que evitar endeudarse es crucial para prevenir problemas familiares.
Según Investopedia, una de las fuentes más reconocidas de información financiera, los estadounidense gastarán un promedio de 920 dólares en la compra de regalos. ¡Es una cantidad considerable! Y pagar con crédito no es buena idea porque además de caro, también resulta estresante.
“Es muy fácil olvidarnos de nuestro presupuesto y terminar con una especie de cruda financiera a principios del año”, señala Patti Wooten Swanson, asesora emérita, en asuntos del consumidor de UC ANR, quien ofrece las siguientes recomendaciones para no excederse:
1. Crear un plan de gastos para las fiestas
Desarrolle un plan de gastos en el que deberá incluir todos los desembolsos de la temporada: desde las tarjetas navideñas, sellos de correo, decoración y luces navideñas, entretenimiento, hasta la compra de regalos y más.
2. Haga una lista de regalos
Primero tenga en mente que hay muchas maneras de halagar a las personas y no necesita hacer grandes gastos. Se pueden hornear galletas, preparar calendarios con fotografías de la familia y ofrecer servicios como lavar el auto de la abuela. Pero si prefiere dar un regalito, hay que empezar por hacer una lista de las personas a las que piensa halagar y analizar cuánto puede gastar en cada uno. ¿Se ajusta a su presupuesto? Si no se así, reduzca el monto por persona o limite el número de personas en su lista.
3. Pague solo en efectivo
Entregar el efectivo es más “doloroso” porque el consumidor pone más atención en sus compras y gasta menos.
“La única ocasión en que podría convenir usar una tarjeta de crédito es cuando usted está seguro que tendrá el monto total para pagar la deuda cuando le llegue la factura. Yo recomiendo usar dinero en efectivo, o tener el dinero listo cuando llegue la factura de la cuenta de crédito”, sostiene Wooten Swanson.
Tenga en mente que el costo promedio del interés en tarjetas de crédito es de 17.27 por ciento, de acuerdo con credit.cards.com.
Ayude a cuidar el medioambiente
En este fin de año, se venderán millones de árboles de Navidad, según datos de la Asociación Nacional de árboles de Navidaden 2018 se vendieron poco más de 32 millones, y los expertos de UC ANR recomiendan que después de las fiestas reciclen su árbol llevando sus árboles a los centros de reciclaje que ofrecen las autoridades para evitar la propagación de plagas y sus enfermedades.
Todo el personal de UC ANR le desea lo mejor para sus fiestas decembrinas y los invita a seguirnos todo el año con nuevos y prácticos consejos para el bienestar familiar y de la comunidad.
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- Author: Trina Tobey
I woke up on my seventeenth birthday to find my parent's juvenile maple tree had magically converted to a banana plant overnight and had a resident monkey…and no, I was not dreaming. My very creative friend Whitney had snuck into my yard in the middle of the night to tie bananas and a stuffed monkey from the tree limbs. Twenty years later, this “banana tree” is the most beguiling gift I have received.
I come from a family of practical jokers. My dad loves to prank my children, and they love to get their revenge whenever they can. So when my dad's birthday came around this year, my kids and I took a page from Whitney's book, and plotted the perfect gardening practical joke. My dad hates watermelon and so my daughter suggested we put a watermelon garden in his yard. We found the fake vines with leaves and garden gnome at the thrift store and new Family Dollar in town for less than $10 altogether. All that was left to buy was a few mini watermelons and voilà, we had an instant watermelon garden! We got up at 4:30 A.M. the morning of his birthday and stealthily tip-toed into his backyard planting our prank garden into the middle of his pristine lawn. Now, the most fun was his response. He took pictures and posted them on social media, texted family and friends, and grilled every suspect until my daughter finally caved under the pressure two days later. My mom said, “He really got a big kick out of that!”
Here are some other ideas for gardening pranks, but the possibilities are endless and guaranteed to make for great stories and laughs for years to come. You could decorate your friend's garden with the ugliest garden ornaments you can find at yard sales. Put a gnome, flamingo, or other figurine in a garden and move it periodically (like Elf on a Shelf) posing it to do various gardening tasks. Attach store bought fruit or vegetables to a plant of a different species (i.e. tie oranges to an apple tree). And then there is the rubber snake, always guaranteed to create a startle but not for the faint at heart.
Be creative, have fun, and, most importantly, pick the right person or they might not think it is funny.
- Author: Iris Craig
By Iris Craig, U.C. Master Gardeners of Napa County
Gardening can be a positive influence on children, teens and adults. Scientific evidence shows that it can help alleviate stress, instill a feeling of accomplishment, improve respect for nature, even provide a sense of awe and wonder at watching plants grow.
Studies have shown that children of any age may improve motor skills by gardening. They also learn about the life cycle of plants and insects. Many a sunny window in a kindergarten classroom displays fast-germinating radishes, sunflowers and beans in milk cartons.
Do gardening and exposure to green space have a positive effect in the lives of children? As a classroom teacher and parent, I can confidently affirm that they do. One Spanish study found that children exposed to green space at home and at school developed more white brain matter, resulting in better cognitive, physical and mental health, more success in learning as well as a sense of wonder.
Just having plants in the classroom has a positive effect. As a teacher at an inner-city high school, I would bring in a pot of tulips in the spring and place them on my desk, perhaps to brighten my own spirits, but ultimately to spark interest among the students.
One day I noticed a group of ninth-grade boys discussing the changing tulips. As inner-city students, they hadn't seen many flowers near their homes and had no idea that tulips opened flat during the day. Much to my joy, they would “check out the plant” each day and chat about it upon entering the room.
Another study conducted in schools in England, Kenya and India concluded that hands-on garden experience heightened students' sense of responsibility. They improved at teamwork and showed a greater respect for nature and themselves.
School gardens can be incorporated into the science, reading, math and art curriculum. They may improve nutrition, encourage physical activity and boost agricultural and ecological literacy, with resulting improvements in behavior and attitudes.
Spending time outdoors gets children away from technology and television, helps them burn energy and promotes social interaction. When parents of children with attention deficit disorder were asked to describe situations where the symptoms were alleviated, the majority suggested outdoor activities in green settings, including gardening. These activities had a positive impact on behavior, including socializing and impulse control.
But it's not just children and teens that benefit from gardening. A meta-analysis of scientific studies on gardening showed that gardening improves ones mood, and also results in increases in life satisfaction, quality of life, and a greater sense of community. (A meta-analysis is a study looking at the outcomes of many individual studies for overall trends and results.) If you are already a gardener, you know how much better you feel after you spend some time outside in the garden. Evidence of the physical, mental and social benefits of gardening cannot be overstated. Gardening also seems to reduce medical visits and need for medications. Science says you may even lose some weight and increase your bone density if you take up gardening!
If you have been thinking about getting into gardening, want to learn something new or improve your gardening skills, come have fun with us doing the hands-on activities planned for the Napa County Master Gardeners' Fall Faire, where science fair meets carnival.
Some of the Fall Faire's booths with science based fun for adults, children and teens include: Good Bugs versus Bad Bugs; Worm Composting; Carnivorous Plants; Mushroom Madness; Soil: It's Not Dirt; Secret Life of Plants; Pollinator Paradise; Hay/Straw Bale Gardening; Beverages from the Garden; Seeds for Fall Planting; Herb Crafts and Seeds; Planting Succulents; Natural Dyeing; Garlands from Your Garden and Garden Tool Care.
Admire the display of creative scarecrows and vote for your favorite. Stop by the Master Gardener Help Desk to get your gardening questions answered. Want to know which tree to plant? Pick up a copy of the Master Gardener's Trees of Napa Valley (cash or check please). There will be a food truck, a seating area, live music and games for all ages.
Community groups with booths at the fair include 4-H, California Native Plant Society, Natural Resources Conservation District, Napa Compost and Recycling, Connolly Ranch, The School Garden Doctor, Napa Water Conservation District, beekeeper George Altobell and the Bonsai Society.
Napa County Master Gardeners' second annual Fall Faire will take place on Saturday, October 5, from noon to 4 p.m., at 1710 Soscol Avenue in Napa. Tickets are $5 for adults. Children 15 and under are free with an accompanying adult. Purchase tickets online with a credit card. Cash and check only will be accepted at the door. Find more on the Fall Faire at http://napamg.ucanr.edu/fallfaire/.
The UC Master Gardeners are volunteers who provide UC research-based information on home gardening and answer your questions. To find out more about upcoming programs or to ask a garden question, visit the Master Gardener website (http://napamg.ucanr.edu) or call (707) 253-4221 between 9 a.m. and noon on Mondays, Wednesdays or Fridays.