Cooperative Extension Ventura County

Mining bee (Andrena) on Passiflora in Vacaville, Calif. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
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In Search of the Mining Bees

April 17th, 2025
 Bug Squad BlogBy Kathy Keatley GarveyThere she was,  a mining bee (genus Andrena) sunning herself on a Passiflora (passionflower vine). She did not notice me.Such a tiny bee, about the size of a grain of rice. It's a solitary ground-nesting bee known as "an early spring bee" and it lives only a…
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Bermuda buttercup infesting a bed of landscaped plants.
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Spring is in the Air, and Oxalis is Everywhere

April 17th, 2025
By Lindsey Hack
Bermuda buttercup (Oxalis pes-caprae), also called buttercup oxalis or sourgrass, might be a familiar sight in winter and spring, particularly to those who live in coastal regions or the Sacramento Valley. Some people enjoy seeing this plant’s cheerful yellow flowers pop up in their spring gardens, but for…
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Flameskimmer dragonfly above bed of California golden poppies. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
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Flameskimmers Bring Great Joy

April 16th, 2025
Bug Squad BlogBy Kathy Keatley GarveyFlameskimmers bring great joy.Today we saw our first dragonfly of the season in our Vacaville garden.  The flameskimmer, a female Libellula saturata, perched on a stick and allowed me to take a few images. It was just a couple of weeks ago that I reviewed a book…
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The buds shown on the walnut branches are male flowers called catkins
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UC scientists ask walnut trees: When do you need to be irrigated?

April 16th, 2025
By Trina Kleist
UC scientists are working with growers in Tehama, Butte, Lake, Amador, Contra Costa, Stanislaus and Yolo counties to test a new way of measuring the irrigation needs of walnut trees. Shackel and team think this new method will allow growers to use less water by not irrigating early in the season, and trees…
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A man wearing a tan baseball cap with coffee plants and lush foliage in the background
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California agritourism can learn from small farms in Puerto Rico

April 16th, 2025
By Kristen Farrar
Agritourism plays in important role in diversifying income and developing new markets for products. Statewide agritourism coordinator, Rachael Callahan, weighs in on the potential for agritourism to serve as a safety net, supporting the resiliency of California agriculture after disaster.
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Professor Fiona Goggin of the University of Arkansas
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UC Davis Doctoral Alumna to Give Lecture on 'Plant Defensive Signaling'

April 15th, 2025
 Bug Squad BlogBy Kathy Keatley GarveyUC Davis doctoral alumna Fiona Goggin, professor of entomology and plant pathology at the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, will return to UC Davis on Monday, April 21 to deliver a lecture hosted by the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology.Professor…
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Come down or Zoom in for this Avocado Seminar on Irrigation
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Avocado Seminar - Water

April 15th, 2025
By Ben A Faber
California Avocado Growers Seminars Series 2025 Our Next SeminarApril 16 (1 -3 PM)  Water Knowledge isPower KnowledgeIn-Person and Zoom Topics and Speakers Sources of ET information and their ReliabilityBy Ali Montazar - UCCE Irrigation Advisor, Imperial/San Diego/ Riverside counties…
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What Bt looks like
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Managing Pesticides

April 15th, 2025
Nature’s plan for delaying pest resistance decipheredA new study cracks the code for increasing sustainability of the pest-killing proteins in genetically engineered crops.University of ArizonaElena LopezUniversity of Arizonapelopez@arizona.edu Cell: 5203428712 Farmers in dozens of countries have…
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Bohart Museum 75th anniversary banner
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Swing That Net!

April 14th, 2025
 Bug Squad BlogBy Kathy Keatley GarveySwing that net! Catch that butterfly!The Bohart Museum of Entomology at UC Davis encouraged people of all ages to show their skills at netting a butterfly replica on the Briggs Hall lawn last Saturday during the 111th annual campuswide UC Davis Picnic Day.The Bohart…
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Four men in weedy area. One is holding a measuring container while another sprays liquid into it from a wand attached to a backpack sprayer. A third person holds a clipboard and the furth holds a stopwatch.
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New Online Course: Calibrating Herbicide Applications for Non-Agricultural Areas

April 14th, 2025
By Cheryl A Reynolds
Calibration might sound intimidating, but it’s critical for safe and effective herbicide application. Proper calibration ensures that the correct amount of pesticide is applied to an area while achieving the desired level of pest control. To support land managers and pesticide applicators, the UC Statewide…
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4-H Transforms Lives

April 14th, 2025
Ashley, one of our California 4-H State Ambassadors, is now a semi-finalist for the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation undergaduate scholarship! She attributes this opportunity to her involvement in 4-H. Her TikTok video shares more about her 4-H experience and opportunity, and she wants to especially thank the…
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Earwigs - Friend or Foe?

April 14th, 2025
UC IPMAgricultureCitrusEuropean Earwig Agriculture: Citrus Pest Management GuidelinesEuropean EarwigForficula auriculariaOn This PageDescription of the Pest Damage Management Description of the PestThe introduced European earwig is the most common of several earwig species that can occur in citrus…
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A monarch flag signifies the home of the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology.
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UC Davis Picnic Day: Ready, Set, Go!

April 11th, 2025
 Bug Squad BlogBy Kathy Keatley GarveyThe long-awaited UC Davis Picnic Day activities at Briggs Hall will begin at 9 a.m., Saturday, April 12 and continue until 5 p.m.It promises to be a fun-filled and educational event where roaches races, maggots crawl and the crowd cheers. And everyone learns more…
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Ranunculus flowers at The Flower Fields in Carlsbad
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Summit to showcase California agritourism best practices, May 14-15

April 11th, 2025
By Michael Hsu
The California Agritourism Summit, May 14-15 in San Diego County, will bring together agritourism stakeholders to share current initiatives and industry developments, gain practical tools to start or expand an agritourism business, develop strategic partnerships, and create a collective vision for the future…
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Lady beetle in flight. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
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Ladybug, Ladybug, Fly Away Home!

April 10th, 2025
 Bug Squad BlogBy Kathy Keatley Garvey"Ladybug, ladybug, fly away home!"Your house is on fire and your children are gone”Who hasn’t loved that nursery rhyme about ladybugs? (Actually, ladybugs are beetles, not bugs, but that’s a different story.)At the 111th annual campuswide UC Davis Picnic Day on…
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Malaria mosquito, Anopheles stephensi, drawing blood. (Wikipedia Photo)
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Mosquito Researcher to Discuss His Work on Immune Cells

April 9th, 2025
 Bug Squad BlogBy Kathy Keatley Garvey"Mosquitoes are arguably the deadliest animal on the planet, threatening half of the world's population with the risk of mosquito-borne diseases such as malaria and dengue."So says mosquito researcher Ryan Smith, an associate professor in Iowa State University's…
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HLB Deformed Fruit
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HLB Found in Arizona

April 9th, 2025
By Ben A Faber
HLB was recently confirmed for the first time in Arizona, first in an Asian citrus psyllid (ACP) and then in another ACP and citrus plant tissue. The Arizona Department of Agriculture (AZDA) reported the details.On Dec. 16, 2024, agriculture inspectors collected ACP and plant tissue samples from a…
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Bug Squad template. Bumble bee foraging on bull thistle. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
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Nothing But Net--And a Butterfly

April 8th, 2025
 You may not be a proficient at netting an insect like entomologist Fran Keller, UC Davis doctoral alumna and Folsom Lake College professor is, but you can try your skills at the 111th annual UC Davis Picnic Day on Saturday, April 12 and maybe win a poster.The Bohart Museum of Entomology invites you to…
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Bug Squad template. Bumble bee foraging on bull thistle. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
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Run, Roaches, Run!

April 7th, 2025
 A picnic is not a picnic without bugs.Bugs may be "univited guests" at your picnic, but at the campuswide UC Davis Picnic Day, they're celebrities.Yes, celebrities.The UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology (ENT) again will host its fan-favorite roach races at at Briggs Hall on Saturday,…
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Upcoming Events

Arbor Earth Day Celebration Flyer
Apr 19 2025

Arbor Earth Day Celebration

The City’s annual Arbor Earth Day Celebration returns to Thousand Oaks Community Center Park to celebrate Earth Day and Arbor Day in one combined event. This year's event will include an electric…
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Apr 25 2025 - Apr 27 2025

Replant the Forest Festival

Join Replant the Forest Festival 2025! Over the weekend of April 25-27 they will gather together for a wildfire restoration project, live music, DJs, workshops, delicious food, and building resilient…
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May 17 2025

Pollinator Palooza

Pollinator Palooza FREE Event Education & GiveawaysSustainable giveaways & education on composting, gardening, recycling, worm bins & more with the City's Environmental…
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UCCE Ventura

669 County Square Drive #100
Ventura, CA 93003
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