Pest News

Someone recently brought specimens of what they thought were bed bugs. Actually they are larvae of carpet beetle. Here is a brief note about them. Carpet beetles belong to the Coleopteran family of Dermestidae, which are commonly known as dermestid or skin beetles.

Brown marmorated stink bug adult male (Photo by: Surendra Dara, UCCE and Rodney Cooper, USDA-ARS) Brown marmorated stink bug (BMSB), Halyomorpha halys Stl was recently found in San Luis Obispo County in an incoming shipment of household items from Pennsylvania, where it is considered as a serious pe...

Japanese dodder, Cuscuta japonica recently found in Lompoc, Santa Barbara Co. (Photo by: Matt Victoria, Santa Barbara Ag Commissioner's Office) Japanese dodder is an exotic parasitic weed which is a high priority noxious weed in California.

Manzanita leaves showing blotch mines and cases made by Coleophora sp. (Photo by: Surendra Dara) Manzanita (Arctostaphylos sp.) leaf samples that were recently brought from the San Luis Obispo area appear to have casebearer infestation.

Grass bug, Arhyssus sp. (Photo by Rodney Cooper, USDA-ARS, Shafter) Several specimens of grass bugs have been brought to our office in the recent weeks. These are of varying sizes (about 7-12 mm), but identified by the CDFA systematist, Rosser Garrison as Arhyssus sp.