Pest Management & Plant Health

The Backyard Gardener: Article

Tomatoes Going Viral!

April 7, 2020
By Dustin W Blakey
Sure our area is hot and dry for much of the year, but the silver lining is that we have very few fungal diseases to deal with in the garden. I swear in Arkansas you cold hear fungi growing on tomatoes from the heat and humidity. (And on roses, too, but that's a different topic.
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Adult honey bee (Credit: Jack Kelly Clark)
Pests in the Urban Landscape: Article

Webinar on Pollinator Health This Wednesday, April 8

April 6, 2020
On Wednesday, April 8, UC Ag Experts Talk will be hosting a webinar titled From Integrated Pest Management to Integrated Pest and Pollinator Management: An Update on Current Research on Pollinator Health. This is a 2.5 hrs in-person meeting converted into a webinar.
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This is the coronavirus-equipped mantis that's drawing lots of smiles in the Davis front yard of entomologists Robert and Lynn Kimsey of UC Davis. (Photo by Lynn Kimsey)
Bug Squad: Article

Ever Seen a Coronavirus-Equipped Mantis?

April 6, 2020
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
Sometimes you just have to display your sense of humor. Take the case of a huge praying mantis sculpture that anchors the Davis, Calif., front yard of entomologists Robert and Lynn Kimsey of the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology.
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Amsinckia 3
UC Weed Science (weed control, management, ecology, and minutia): Article

Weeds from Droughty Winters

April 6, 2020
As of February 20, fiddleneck (Amsinckia spp.) was flowering in Fresno County. Zero rain fell in the city of Fresno during the month of February. By February 27, a date when the temperature reached 79F in Fresno, the U.S.
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Principles of weed control training videos
UC Weed Science (weed control, management, ecology, and minutia): Article

Weed science training videos

April 5, 2020
By Gale Perez
Several years ago, the UC Weed Science group produced a series of training videos. In the next few days, I'm going to share links to the videos. The first topic is principles of weed control. The videos are broken up into smaller parts, so they are easier to view.
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A pterophorid plume moth (family Pterophoridae) in Vacaville, Calif. on April 2, 2020. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Bug Squad: Article

Ever Seen a Plume Moth?

April 3, 2020
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
Have you ever seen a plume moth? Or has a plume moth ever seen you? We spotted a pterophorid plume moth (family Pterophoridae) yesterday on our back door in Vacaville, Calif.
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A clothes moth larva with its feeding case attached. (Credit: DH Choe)
Pests in the Urban Landscape: Article

Spring Cleaning for Pest Prevention

April 2, 2020
Spring has arrived and with many Californians at home due to local coronavirus directives, now could be an opportune time for some spring cleaning. This annual ritual also has the benefit of preventing and reducing indoor pests.
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