Pest Management & Plant Health

Primary Image
Antimicrobials include several categories of products. To maintain virus-free surfaces use a disinfectant or a virucide. Sterilants are generally more toxic and reserved for critical environments like hospitals. Infographic courtesy Enviroxyclean.
Pests in the Urban Landscape: Article

Disinfectants are pesticides–so use safely!

March 30, 2020
What do pest control and public health campaigns against SARS Cov-2 have in common? Both activities use pesticides. In the eyes of the law, sanitizer and disinfectant products are considered pesticides.
View Article
Primary Image
Figure 1. Western yellowjacket baiting with the hydrogel bait. After a short handling behavior on the bait, yellowjackets flew away with a small piece of the hydrogel bait. (Credit: DH Choe)
Pests in the Urban Landscape: Article

Using hydrogels to develop a yellowjacket bait

March 29, 2020
By Dong Hwan Choe
Many parks, recreational areas, and outdoor venues in California are home to yellowjacket wasps (Vespula spp.). Yellowjackets are commonly attracted to human food items, creating a serious nuisance and a potential stinging threat.
View Article
Primary Image
This graphic from the research article in PNAS illustrates introduced herbivores and nearest neighbors.
Entomology & Nematology News: Article

How Feral Hogs and Other Out-of-Place Species Can Restore Ecological Functions of Extinct Animals

March 27, 2020
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
Out-of-place and troublesome species, such as feral hogs, wild horses and burros, may actually be restoring the ecological services of extinct animals, says UC Davis evolutionary biologist Scott Carroll, co-author of a newly published article in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (P...
View Article
Primary Image
These cabbage aphids, Brevicoryne brassicae, are not practicing social distancing on this yellow mustard. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Cabbage Aphids Do Not Social-Distance

March 25, 2020
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
"Eat your greens," they say. Okay, we don't need any encouragement, but apparently many other folks need a push, a poke or a prod to eat cole crops, including cabbage, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, broccoli, mustard, kale and kohlrabi. Well, cabbage aphids need no encouragement.
View Article
Primary Image
Front
Pests in the Urban Landscape: Article

"Virus Shut Out" is Illegal Product in U.S.

March 25, 2020
HONOLULU Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced it has prevented several shipments of an illegal health product from entering U.S. Pacific ports under federal pesticide laws. The item, Virus Shut Out, is not registered with the EPA.
View Article
Primary Image
aphid
Garden Notes: Article

Pests of the Season

March 25, 2020
By Marceline D Sousa
Chill weather slows down grass growth in our lawns and we can notice the bright yellow flowers of Taraxacum officinale, the common dandelion. In our mild climate, dandelions bloom nearly year-round. Even as they bloom, these weeds seldom rise above their basal rosette at the lawn surface.
View Article
Primary Image
Figure 1: Western drywood termite (<i>Incisitermes minor</i>) immatures. (Credit: S. Taravati)
Pests in the Urban Landscape: Article

Detecting Drywood Termites in Structures with Microwave Technology

March 24, 2020
By Siavash Taravati
Western drywood termites (Incisitermes minor, Figure 1) are an important pest of structural wood in California, causing millions of dollars in damage annually. These termites are very cryptic, hidden in their galleries within wood members (pieces of wood), and only emerge during swarming.
View Article