Pest Management & Plant Health

It's green, it's tiny, and everyone is hoping it doesn't wreak any havoc in the vineyards. "It" is the three-cornered alfalfa hopper, Spissistilus festinus, a lear-winged, wedge-shaped (thus the name "three-cornered") insect that's about a quarter of an inch long.

From Growing Produce by Karli Petrovic | November 27, 2018 https://www.growingproduce.com/vegetables/field-scouting-guide-palmer-amaranth/ This month's field scouting guide concentrates on Amaranthus palmeri S. Watson (Palmer amaranth).

They ticked me off. Ticks can do that to you. I never think about ticks during the holiday season, but a news release from the University of Cincinnati about how Hungry Ticks Work Harder to Find You piqued my interest--and memories of the day our family inadvertently collected a total of 14 ticks.

No we aren't here to tell you we found one. Because brown recluse spiders do not live in California. Don't believe this last statement? Then please read the recently updated publication Pest Notes: Brown Recluse and Other Recluse Spiders by UC Riverside spider expert Richard S. Vetter.

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It was the day that cockroaches stole the show. However, bed bugs, carpet beetles and pantry pests got into the act and competed mightily for the spotlight. The occasion: The UC Davis Bohart Museum of Entomology open house, held Sunday afternoon, Nov. 18. The theme: "Urban Entomology.

This is a new type of post that I hope to upload monthly to this blog site: a short little bit of information that can be read in about a minute that (hopefully) illustrates an important fact of value to growers in the SJV.

Richard Smith is a University of California Cooperative Extension Farm Advisor in Monterey County. Leeks are in the onion family and are increasingly important crop in Monterey County. In 2017, there were 475 acres produced worth $8.6 million.

#GivingTuesday is November 27! Want to know how you can support the work we do here at the UC Statewide Integrated Pest Management Program to help you understand and control pests around your home and landscape?

Advice for the Home Gardener from the Help Desk of the UC Master Gardener Program of Contra Costa County Client's Request: Could you please diagnose this condition on my Meyer Lemon tree (see photo at right) and let me know if I should take any action .