Pest Management & Plant Health

lady beetle larvae crawling on a leaf
UC Master Gardeners of Solano County: Page

Ask a Master Gardener

Have a question about your garden? The UC Master Gardeners of Solano County are here to help!Our trained volunteers provide free, research-based advice on all aspects of home gardening, tailored to Solano County’s Mediterranean climate (Zones 9a, 9b, and 10a). We can help you:Identify plant problems, pests,…
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Photo of a field of romaine lettuce in the Salinas Valley.
Salinas Valley Agriculture: Article

Reflections on thrips and INSV during the 2025 Lettuce Season

February 23, 2026
By Dylan J Beal, Yu-Chen Wang
Reflections on thrips and INSV during the 2025 Lettuce Season Dylan J. Beal, Daniel K. Hasegawa, Yu-Chen Wang INSV: Early Spring and Summer: isolated, small INSV outbreaks were observed. These outbreaks were associated with adjacent, unmanaged weedy sites.Late Summer and early Fall: more…
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Japanese beetle. Credit: D. Cappaert, Bugwood.org)

National  Invasive Species Awareness Week 2026

February 18, 2026
By Lindsey Hack
This week (February 23-27, 2026) is National Invasive Species Awareness Week (NISAW), an event dedicated to raising awareness about invasive species, the threats they pose, and how we can slow their spread. When it comes to invasive species, your actions can have a big impact! What Can You Do? Take…
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Green grapes with white powdery blotches from powdery mildew
Over the Fence (Alameda County): Article

Managing Powdery Mildew

February 10, 2026
By Linda Carloni
Fungal diseases plague many different kinds of plants and their gardeners.  Fungal diseases tend to be persistent and can be difficult to manage.  Powdery mildew is one such disease.  It includes multiple fungal species and affects many different types of plants.  Powdery mildew…
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Person wearing gloves pouring liquid from a measuring cup into a spray bottle on cement.

Upcoming Webinars from UC IPM

February 9, 2026
By Yulie Velez
If you missed our first Urban & Community IPM webinar of the year, Pests of Backyard Chickens, don’t fret, we have more for you! Join us every third Thursday of the month from 12:00pm to 1:00pm PT to learn about a wide range of urban pest management topics. This series is free and open to the…
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Several large, brilliant purple flowers scattered over dense, deep green leaves.

When Ornamentals Escape

January 20, 2026
By Cherie Shook
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…
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Short mushrooms growing at the edge of a lawn along mowing strip. Caps of mushrooms are whitish to light brown and appear cracked. Caps are flat with edges rolled down slightly.

Rains Bring Lawn Mushrooms

January 9, 2026
By Belinda Messenger-Sikes
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…
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Colony of bright yellow, pear-shaped aphids with black legs, antennae, and cornicles (tail pipes) on their abdomens surrounded by exoskeletons on a green leaf.

Top Ten Pests of 2025

January 8, 2026
By Yulie Velez, Karey Windbiel-Rojas
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…
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A close-up of shiny gold and green holiday ornaments and multicolored lights hanging on a fir tree with bushy, dark-green leaves (needles).

Happy Holidays from UC IPM

December 22, 2025
By Lindsey Hack
From the UC IPM Urban and Community team, we’d like to wish you a happy holiday season! As we reflect on this past year, we’d like to express our gratitude to all of you for joining us to learn about pest management around the home and garden.  This year, we’ve connected with you in various ways:…
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