Urban and Community Integrated Pest Management

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Hantavirus: What to Know

April 21st, 2025

By Niamh M Quinn, Roger A Baldwin

Hantavirus has been in the news a lot lately. Betsy Arakawa, wife of the late actor Gene Hackman, recently passed away in New Mexico due to the disease and California has already seen 3 hantavirus-related deaths this year. In this article we share information to help you understand hantavirus and what you…

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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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A person wearing blue gloves on their hands is unscrewing the cap to a white container

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What Should You Wear When Using Pesticides?

April 1st, 2025

When using pesticides and other garden chemicals, you should always wear personal protective equipment (PPE) to keep yourself safe. Pesticides can enter the body via the eyes, skin, nose, or mouth. The skin is the most common way pesticides enter our bodies, usually by splashing, spillage, or spray drift…

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Valley oak tree atop a hill of brown grass.

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Webinar: Mediterranean Oak Borer and Other Oak Pests

March 26th, 2025

By Lauren Fordyce

Join UC IPM for a free webinar on the invasive Mediterranean Oak Borer (MOB) and other important oak tree pests on April 10, 2025 from 6:00pm to 7:30pm. The Mediterranean Oak Borer (MOB) is an invasive ambrosia beetle that infests several species of white oaks in California: valley oak, blue oak,…

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A person wearing rubber gloves using a spray bottle to spray pesticide on a rose bush outside.

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Tips for Using Pesticides Safely

February 24th, 2025

By Lauren Fordyce

At UC IPM we recognize pesticide safety education every month, but February in particular is National Pesticide Safety Education Month! Below are some simple tips for using pesticides safely to protect yourself, others, wildlife, and the environment.

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National Invasive Species Action Week 2025

February 24th, 2025

From February 24 - 28, 2025, help increase public awareness of invasive species and join the fight against invasive species by participating in National Invasive Species Action Week (NISAW).

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Person dumping a white bucket of water outside.

Article

Drain After Rain to Prevent Mosquitoes

February 20th, 2025

By Lauren Fordyce

Recent rainfall throughout much of California has created puddles and stagnant water. With the temperature warming up in many parts of the state, this combination can create the perfect situation for mosquitoes to breed. We encourage you to drain after the rain to reduce mosquito-breeding sites.

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A dark haired woman holds a pesticide bottle in her hand to read it.

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Tree & Shrub Insecticides Limited in New Law

February 11th, 2025

By Lauren Fordyce

As of January 1, 2025, popular lawn and garden pesticides belonging to the neonicotinoid class, can no longer be used by home gardeners on outdoor fruit trees, lawns, or ornamental plants in California.

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A brown, dying shrub in front of a row of healthy green shrubs.

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Wilted plants: lack of water or disease?

February 4th, 2025

By Belinda Messenger-Sikes

A well-watered plant that suddenly wilts or unexpectedly drops its leaves could be infected with the soil pathogen Phytophthora. The disease it causes, Phytophthora root and crown rot, can affect many plants, including ornamental trees and shrubs, fruit trees, and vegetables.

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Two rat traps secured to a tree limb using a piece of wood and tape

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Your Rat Management Questions Answered!

January 14th, 2025

By Lauren Fordyce

UC IPM recently hosted a webinar on rat management presented by Dr. Niamh Quinn. During this webinar attendees were able to ask the expert their burning questions about rats and their management. Below are responses to common questions from the webinar.

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Article

Wrapping Up the Year

December 20th, 2024

By Karey Windbiel

As the end of 2024 approaches, I'd like to reflect on the UC IPM Urban and Community program's accomplishments and share what's to come from us in 2025.

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Article

Bugs in Your Holiday Cookies!?

December 16th, 2024

By Lauren Fordyce

In a recent TikTok video, a woman's holiday baking spree came to a halt when she discovered bugs in her flour. While initially alarmed, the woman was also intrigued.

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Figure 1. Spotted lanternflies on grapevines. Photo Credit: Heather Leach, Penn State University.

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Spotted Lanternfly: The Need to Remain Vigilant (Part 2)

December 9th, 2024

By Lauren Fordyce

The spotted lanternfly (SLF) is an invasive insect pest first detected in Pennsylvania in 2014, with confirmed sightings and/or infestations of SLF now reported in 20 eastern states.

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Article

December Pest Tips

December 4th, 2024

By Lauren Fordyce

Take the following steps to keep your plants healthy and pest-free this winter. Refer to the UC IPM Seasonal Landscape IPM Checklist for more monthly pest management to-dos for your region so you can prevent pests and their damage in the garden and landscape.

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An overhead shot of a person with one hand holding a coffee mug and the other hand on the mousepad of a laptop.

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2025 Webinars from UC IPM

December 2nd, 2024

By Lauren Fordyce

Want to learn something new on your lunch break? Join the Urban and Community IPM Webinar Series hosted by UC IPM every third Thursday of the month from 12:00 to 1:00pm. Webinars cover pest identification, prevention, and management around the home, garden, and landscape.

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Brown female turkeys on the grass and sidewalk outside of a home.

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Turkey Troubles

November 26th, 2024

By Lauren Fordyce

With Thanksgiving approaching, turkeys are on many of our minds. But for those that live in a neighborhood with frequent turkey visitors, you might think of them more often. Like most creatures, turkeys are not always considered a pest, and some people may even enjoy seeing them.

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A cluster of leaves on a branch. Some are flat and green and others are bumpy and red.

Article

When Should You Treat for Peach Leaf Curl?

November 25th, 2024

By Lauren Fordyce

While you may not notice symptoms of peach leaf curl until the spring, you should manage it in the fall and winter. Peach leaf curl is a fungal disease that primarily affects peach and nectarine trees.

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A grey animal with pale pink claws sticking out of a dirt hole in the ground

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Got Moles?

November 20th, 2024

A line of pushed up grass. A volcano sized mound. Yep, it's probably a mole! While you may never actually see the mole itself, the signs of their presence are pretty clear. Moles are small burrowing mammals (not rodents) that live almost entirely underground in extensive tunnel networks.

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A wire cage trap next to a hole in in the ground.

Article

Managing California Ground Squirrels in Urban Environments

November 20th, 2024

By Niamh M Quinn, Roger A Baldwin, Carolyn Whitesell

With the passing of law AB 1322 in 2023 and the recent passing of AB 2552 in September 2024, the options for managing California ground squirrels using lethal methods in urban areas will be more limited.

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Figure 1. Metal art structure in transit to California. Photo credit: Sonoma County Dept of Agriculture/W&M

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Spotted Lanternfly: The Need to Remain Vigilant (Part 1)

November 19th, 2024

By Cindy Kron

On March 27th, 2024, a flatbed truck carrying a metal art structure originating in New York and headed to Petaluma, California was stopped at the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) Agricultural Inspection Station in Truckee, California due to live spotted lanternfly (SLF) egg masse...

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Urban IPM in Yolo, Sacramento, and Solano counties

a black and yellow striped fly on a purple flower with a yellow center.

This is the web page of Karey Windbiel-Rojas, Area Urban Integrated Pest Management Advisor for UC Cooperative Extension serving Sacramento, Yolo, and Solano counties.

Current projects are listed in the left side column.

For information on various home, garden, turf, and landscape pests, please visit the UC Statewide IPM Program web site to find specific science-based pest management information.

If you have home or garden pest questions, contact your local UC Master Gardener office by visiting their web site or help line:

Yolo County or call (530) 666-8143
Sacramento County or call (916) 876-5338
Solano County or call (707) 784-1322

You can also find UC Master Gardeners offices in other counties at http://mg.ucanr.edu/FindUs.

Contact information:
2801 Second Street, Davis, CA 95618
(530) 750-1241 (office)
(916) 291-7791 (cell)
kwindbiel@ucanr.edu

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Interested in some of our UC IPM Urban and Community program statistics? We have been gathering information on our website views, social media engagement, webinar reach, and more. Visit this page for more: https://ucanr.edu/sites/UCIPM_Urban_Stats/Webinars/index.cfm.

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Urban IPM in Yolo, Sacramento, and Solano counties

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