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May 2025Archived

 

Field picture submitted by Elizabeth Fichtner

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Cooperative Extension Ventura County: Page

California Laurel Aphid

California laurel aphid is found on the undersurface of the leaves and is a small (a sixteenth of an inch diameter) ball which is gray-white. The aphids tend to line up along the mid-vein and lateral veins of the leaf.
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Cooperative Extension Ventura County: Page

California Prionus Beetle

The California Prionus beetle, Prionus californicus, can be as large as two to two-and-a-half inches. It is uniform dark, reddish brown and has antennae that are about half as long as its body. The adult is attracted to light at night and sounds like a small airplane approaching.
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Cooperative Extension Ventura County: Page

Chinese Wax Scale

Chinese wax scale is an insect that can attack many trees and shrubs. Citrus sp., Schinus sp., Ilex sp., Baccharis sp., Umbellularia sp. and Escallonia sp. plus mayten tree are common hosts on the Central Coast. Both the young and mature scales suck plant sap from their host as food.
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Cooperative Extension Ventura County: Page

Cottony Cushion Scale

The name fairly well describes this insect. Young scales of this species remain mobile until about half-grown. Then they settle down, and the female grows into a white, cushion-shaped mass, which may be surrounded by fuzzy, white strands (cotton).
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Cooperative Extension Ventura County: Page

Cypress Canker

The causal fungus is most active during the rains of late winter and spring. Fungus spores are dispersed and infect the living bark and cambium, progressively killing tissue.
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Cooperative Extension Ventura County: Page

Discouraging Cats

Discouraging cats presents a bit of a dicey situation. It is illegal to kill the neighbors cat. So, a few possible solutions follow. If the cat uses the same area time after time, cover that area with chicken wire, so the cat cannot scratch a hole.
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Cooperative Extension Ventura County: Page

Earwigs

There are several species of earwigs. Their food habits are variable, eating anything from decaying plant debris to living plants. Some species are predaceous on other insects. The European earwig is found throughout North America and is the species that is the most troublesome to gardeners.
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Cooperative Extension Ventura County: Page

Asparagus

Asparagus grows most of the year on the Central Coast, i.e., it has a very short dormant period. Because of this, local growers have found a market niche in late July, August, and September of which they can take advantage.
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Cooperative Extension Ventura County: Page

Avocado Nutrient Defieiency

Deficiencies may be caused by: lack of nutrients in the soil adverse soil pH (acid/alkali balance), which can disrupt root absorption of nutrients nutrient imbalances in the soil, which also can disrupt balanced absorption of nutrients by the plant.
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Cooperative Extension Ventura County: Page

Avocado Fruit Set

Under normal growing conditions an avocado tree should begin producing a few fruit in the third year of life, and the number of fruit should increase each year after that until fruit production plateaus at tree maturity. There are several reasons why a tree does not bear fruit.
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