Ongoing research

Just call them "snuggle bugs." Or "snuggle bees." After spending the day chasing the girls and defending their patch of Mexican sunflowers or Tithonia, a cluster of Melissodes robustior males settled down for the night. Their bed last night: a Tithonia leaf curl. Before that, some lavender stems.

The 59th annual Weed Day at UC Davis will be held next week on Thursday July 16th. It's not too late to register but there are only a few spots left before we reach capacity.

A quick post today to share a link to the recently revised "UC IPM Pest Management Guidelines for Avocado" (UC ANR Publication #3436).

UCCE Rice Production Workshop An in-depth workshop that covers the principles and practices of rice production Friday, July 24, 2015 The Refuge Restaurant 1501 Butte House Road Yuba City, CA 95993 Program: 8:30 Sign in, pick up class materials 9:00 Introduction and Workshop Overview 9:10 Rice Growth...

. A rule of thumb is that irrigation should be done when about 50% of the water has been depleted from the soil in the plant's root zone. This 50% value, however, allows a buffer of water in the soil in case the weather suddenly turns hot and windy.

It's the 4th of July! Time for fireworks! (Yay!) Time for picnics! (Yay!) Time for parades! (Yay!) Time for weeds! (Huh? What?) That's right, weeds. While it is true that many problem pest plant species were imported from Europe and Asia, a lot are also home-grown.

Hurray for the red, white and blue! One more day until we celebrate the birth of our country, Independence Day, and the patriotic colors will be out in force. Insects, also, can be red, white and blue. Take the red flameskimmer dragonfly (Libellula saturata).

They're good bees. You can take that to the bank! The excitement began when Martin Guerena, an integrated pest management (IPM) specialist with the City of Davis, encountered a native bee nesting site Wednesday in front of the U.S. Bank, corner of 3rd and F streets, Davis.

Beekeepers don't like their "girls" foraging in California buckeye (Aesculus californica) It's poisonous to bees.

When we think about weed control in crop production, we often think about 'short-term' result, i.e. weed control after 30 days, weed control after 60 days, weed control at harvest, etc.