Pest Management & Plant Health

Are you noticing an abundance of cobwebs outside, on plants, fences, homes, or outdoor furniture? While many people fear spiders or dislike their cobwebs, most spiders are beneficial to have around even in the home! Spiders are predators of many insect pests and rarely cause harm to people.

Folks new to the world of working livestock guardian dogs (LGDs), whether they are producers or dog aficionados, often ask, What's the best breed? or What breed is your dog?

From Siskiyou County through Riverside County, University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources has hired UC Cooperative Extension experts to help Californians address challenging issues.

We have had some interesting calls lately concerning issues we do not usually see in the fields. We have received calls about small circular areas with snipped rice in fields west of I-5.

As we gather to celebrate moths during National Moth Week (traditionally held the last full week in July and to be observed areawide on Saturday night, July 20 at the Bohart Museum of Entomology at UC Davis), folks single out their favorites and non-favorites. For the beekeepers that's easy.

Acetic acid, also known as vinegar, is used in products for weed control. Many people choose it because it is natural. However, acetic acid can damage skin and eyes, especially at concentrations commonly found in weed killers.

Symptoms of red leaf blotch (RLB), a plant disease caused by the fungus Polystigma amygdalinum, have been observed for the first time in California across the Northern San Joaquin Valley.

Exotic and invasive pests threaten California's natural environments, agricultural production, structures, landscapes and gardens. Exotic pests are organisms introduced into an area beyond their natural range and become pests in the new environment.

Pesticides and fertilizers applied around homes, residential or commercial landscapes, school sites, and other areas can enter our creeks, rivers, and oceans, degrading water quality.

You've heard of terms such as green, organic, natural, ecofriendly, and less toxic to describe pest control products and services. But what do these terms really mean? To different people, they can mean different things, creating obvious confusion.