Pest Management & Plant Health

Help increase public awareness of invasive species and encourage participation in the ongoing fight against invasive species by celebrating California Invasive Species Action Week (CISAW) June 1- 9, 2024.

During the initial throes of the Mediterranean fruit fly invasion in California, protesters disagreeing with the California Department of Food and Agriculture's eradication procedures and policies used to sing the catchy tune, "There Ain't No Bugs on Me," the work of Jerry Garcia and David Grisman.

I received several calls and comments about issues with tadpole shrimp this spring. While this pest is well known to growers and PCAs, it can still be difficult to manage during planting time. Mistiming of insecticide application can result in shrimp damage.

A noted authority on California's tropical fruit fly invasion says the state is in "crisis mode." "It's really serious," says UC Davis distinguished professor James R. Carey, a noted authority on the invasion of tropical fruit flies.

In this blog article we answer some frequently asked questions about moles, voles, and gophers and their management. How can I tell if I have moles, voles, gophers, or something else? Moles: look for circular or volcano-shaped mounds with the plug in the middle, or a plug may not be apparent.

Newly published research provides a novel and sustainable weed-management strategy WESTMINSTER, Colorado 22 May2024 Recently published research in the journal Weed Science shows that a sterilization technique commonly used to control insect pests can be modified to control weeds that require polli...

Read about white grubs in Eastern Sierra lawns.

It wouldn't be a fair without the UC Master Gardeners. If you visited the horticulture building during the Dixon May Fair (the four-day fair traditionally ends on Mother's Day), you probably saw a team of UC Master Gardeners answering questions from fairgoers and handing out literature.

Indoor food waste bins (also known as kitchen bins or compost bins) have become a popular addition to Californian homes. They are a great way to collect food scraps and divert food waste from landfills, but they can sometimes attract pest insects like maggots, ants, and fruit flies.

Introduction: Pollinator insects are essential to produce many economically and nutritionally important crops grown in the western USA. These crops include blueberries, almonds, sunflowers, cucurbits, and many others.