Pest Management & Plant Health

The legacy of chemical ecologist Steven Seybold thrives with the recent publication of two papers by two of his UC Davis students.

Two UC Davis forest entomologists who studied with the late chemical ecologist Steven Seybold, a faculty-research associate with the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology, have published two complementary papers on the walnut twig beetle that shed more light on the invasive pest.

A few months ago Rob Wilson wrote an excellent blog highlighting perennial pepperweed patches he was seeing in the Klamath Basin. It is a terrible noxious weed, which is found throughout much of the state, from sea level up to 8,000 ft. in the Sierras.

Despite the tremendous need, there are currently no preemergence herbicides that are organic-compliant. Steam injected into the soil such that the soil temperatures reach >140F for 15-20 minutes will kill weed seed in the soil.

You never know about those photo-bombers. You can't trust 'em. So here I was, trying to photograph a tiny egg that a monarch butterfly had just deposited on our milkweed. I held it up for a better look.

A new video outlining best practices in monitoring and sampling for invasive shothole borers (ISHB) is now available on the University of California Integrated Pest Management YouTube channel. View it at https://youtu.

Termites can eat you out of house and home by chewing through wood and weakening the structure. The results of a new termite study led by entomologists at UC Riverside may enable homeowners to rid their homes of termites with a safer, effective pest control approach.

Mark your calendar... Managing Weeds in Grasslands and Rangelands in the Context of Fire in California The latest information on weed control and fire will be presented at the Managing Weeds in Grasslands and Rangelands in the Context of Fire in California webinar on Wednesday, November 18, 2020.

California this year has faced the COVID-19 pandemic, disastrous wildfires, racial unrest, and political strife--a combination resulting in undue stress and overall fatigue.

October is a perfect time to talk about spiders! People decorate for Halloween with scary images of spiders and webs. Many people fear spiders but what you may not know is that they are helpful in our homes and landscapes.