Pest Management & Plant Health

The Bohart Museum of Entomology at the University of California, Davis, has scheduled nine special weekend open houses for the academic year.

A life well-lived. Robbin Thorp, distinguished emeritus professor of entomology at the University of California, Davis, was a global authority on bees and he generously shared his expertise with others.

From honey bees to bumble bees to nematodes to mosquitoes to walnut twig beetles... Nine speakers are booked for the fall quarter seminars sponsored by the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology. The seminars begin Wednesday, Sept. 25 and continue through Wednesday, Dec. 5.

Let's see...John Casida, Bruce Hammock and now Thomas Sparks. You probably recognize their names as exemplary scientists affiliated with the University of California system. They all meshed entomology, chemistry and toxicology and biochemistry.

There's not much of a generation gap when it comes to recipients of the prestigious Kenneth A. Spencer Award of the American Chemical Society (ACS).

If you like or grow citrus, you ought to be worried about the worldwide threat of the deadly citrus greening disease (Huanglongbing or HLB) caused by infected Asian citrus psyllids (ACP). The global economic toll is already estimated in the billions.

(Update: The seminars are now uploaded for public viewing. See links.) The UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology will launch its fall quarter seminars on Wednesday, Sept. 25.

The latest issue of the Retail Nursery and Garden Center IPM Newsletter is now available. In this newsletter we address the science surrounding herbicides, personal protective equipment when using pesticides, and our upcoming training exclusively for retail nursery and garden center employees.

Help for the Home Gardener from the Help Desk of the UC Master Gardener Program of Contra Costa County Client's Request: Hi Master Gardeners, I live in Oakley and have had a worm bin in the backyard for several years.

Armyworms can be a serious pest in rice. The worms can eat the rice foliate or panicles, and cause yield reductions. In 2015, a severe outbreak of armyworms caught rice growers by surprise, resulting in yield losses.