Pest Management & Plant Health

Pest Notes are UC IPM publications written for people who want information about pests in homes, office buildings, schools, gardens, urban landscapes, and more. We have more than 170 peer-reviewed Pest Notes on topics ranging from ants to the Zoropsis spider, all available on our website.

If you think there's a butterfly invasion in the three-county area of Yolo, Solano and Sacramento, wait until you hear what Art Shapiro, distinguished professor evolution and ecology at the University of California, Davis, says about that.

The white garden snail (Theba pisana), sometimes known as the Italian white snail, can be a serious pest of landscape ornamentals, including trees, shrubs, groundcovers, and herbaceous plants (Figure 1).

Have you listened to the new field bindweed podcast on Growing the Valley? Dr. Lynn Sosnoskie may have moved across the country to Cornell, but she is still interested in finding new and better ways to kill field bindweed.

The spotted lanternfly (Lycorma delicatula) is a new exotic pest that was first detected in Pennsylvania in 2014 and has since moved to other nearby states (Figure 1).

A few months ago, I was asked about the toxicity of various plants in a horse pasture after the death of a miniature horse using that pasture.

Be sure to catch the following...

It's been a buggy spring and summer in my new garden, where I've encountered varieties of scale, aphids and flies I hadn't experienced before. About 18 months ago we moved to a new house in a new neighborhood.

Like outdoor plants, houseplants can also experience pest problems. Did you know that too much or too little watering is the most common way that houseplants die? They can also suffer from too much or too little light, incorrect fertilization, and a variety of pests and diseases.

Are you signed up for our free Fall Vegetable Gardening class? We hope to "see" you on Zoom to tell you all about the vegetables you can grow in fall! UCCE Stanislaus County Master Gardeners Rho Yare and Terry Pellegrini will discuss their tips for having a successful fall vegetable garden.