UC Master Gardeners of San Joaquin County

 Ever seen the wooly bear caterpillars at Bodega Head, Sonoma County?UC Davis Distinguished Professor Emeritus Richard “Rick” Karban of the Department of Entomology and Nematology has studied the population dynamics of these caterpillars at the University of California Bodega Marine…

Agriculture officials have expanded the areas quarantined for citrus greening disease (known as huanglongbing or HLB) in California. The quarantined area in the Corona area of Riverside County was expanded by 37 square miles. The San Juan Capistrano quarantined area of Orange County was expanded by 18 square…

 "Biologists have always been fascinated by strife and conflict, but cooperative exchanges, involving all species and networking large numbers of them into complex communities, are ubiquitous in the natural world. This talk will describe our current understanding of mutualism as well as the questions…

 Want to help with migratory monarch research? Entomologist David James, an associate professor at Washington State University (my alma mater), has launched an "E-tag" funding project to determine where monarchs from Idaho migrate--do they head for the California coast to overwinter or to Mexico?…

 The 2026 "Beer-for-a-Butterfly" contest, aka "Suds for a Bug," is still underway. No one has come forth.UC Davis Distinguished Professor Emeritus Art Shapiro, who has sponsored the contest since 1972, will trade your live cabbage white butterfly, Pieris rapae, for a pitcher of beer, or its equivalent…

Don’t miss the Association of Applied IPM Ecologists Annual Conference, February 5–6 in Modesto, CA. Join IPM professionals, researchers, and pest control advisors for two days of engaging presentations and discussions focused on today’s most pressing pest management challenges. The program features…

You might be surprised to learn that a few of your favorite ornamental plants are invasive to California and can “escape” your yard causing big problems in the wild. When plants escape landscape and garden boundaries, it is often due to seed distribution or aggressive roots. An invasive plant species can…

Winter rains and damp conditions in many parts of California may have brought a surprise visitor to your lawn: mushrooms! A few mushrooms sprouting in your lawn can be a good sign: it means there's plenty of organic matter in the soil. But if patches of mushrooms are sprinkled across your lawn, something…

 "Did you know that in one acre of almond orchard there can be more earthworms than the entire population of Los Angeles? What are they doing down there?"So asks Amanda Hodson, assistant professor of soil ecology and pest management, UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematolgy, who will present a…

Climate And Agriculture: Farming in a Changing Climate WorkshopWhen: Tuesday January 20, 2026Time: 8:30 - 2:30 (lunch will be provided)Where: Ventura County Community Foundation, 4001 Mission Oaks Blvd, Suite A, Camarillo, CARegistration: https://bit.ly/ClimateAndAgVC UC ANR CLIMATE AND…

The Southwest Regional Food Business Center will host a webinar on how risk modeling can inform preparedness and strengthen the resilience of our food systems.

 Talk about a slugfest.Slugs took a liking to the milkweed in our pollinator garden. They stripped the leaves from one tender young plant and were munching on two other plants--until we dispatched them. We don't think they crossed the Rainbow Bridge. If they did, they left a slimy trail."Sorry,…

Forget Spotify Wrapped – can you guess which pests received the most hits on UC IPM’s Pests Notes page this year? Here are the top ten pests that made your year: (1) Carpet Beetles  For several years, carpet beetles have been in the top 5 on our playlist. Immature carpet beetles feed on…

Rain is wonderful stuff. If it comes and washes the accumulated salts of the last several years out of the root zones of citrus and avocado, that's a good thing. But what happens if there is a little too much of the good stuff? In the winter of 2005, Venture got over 40” of rain, which is 200% of what is…

 We have a winner!Drum roll...the winner of the 2026 Robbin Thorp Memorial First-Bumble-Bee-of-the-Year Contest, sponsored by the Bohart Museum of Entomology is Lesley Hamamoto of Sacramento.She photographed a black-tailed bumble bee, Bombus melanopygus, nectaring on manzanita at  9…