Pest Management & Plant Health

In the human world, we recognize Mother's Day as a special day to celebrate all mothers. It's a day that Anna Jarvis of Grafton, West Va., established on May 10, 1909 with a worship service at St. Andrew's Methodist Church, Grafton. Lady beetles, aka ladybugs, are mothers, too.

Being bothered by mosquitoes and troubled about the risk of diseases? Mosquitoes are not just annoying. They can be deadly.

The University of California Statewide IPM Program (UC IPM) has an exciting, newly updated resource to help you better understand pesticide active ingredients and the risks different active ingredients pose to people and the environment.

Need some summer plans? Join UC IPM at 12:00pm on the third Thursday of every month to learn about pest identification, prevention, and management around the home, garden, and landscape! These free IPM webinars are open to the general public so please share with others who may be interested.

I've spoken with countless gardeners over the years who wish to start their own bee haven. That's great -- the bees need all the help we can give them. But the most misunderstood part of the process is how much preparation needs to take place before a single plant goes in the ground.

May is here and with all the fluctuations in our weather lately, there is a lot going on in the landscape! Follow these general tips for the month of May to prevent pests. To see more tips specific to your region, visit the Seasonal Landscape IPM Checklist on the UC IPM website.

In my previous position as the Extension Dryland Cropping Systems Specialist with the University of Nebraska Panhandle Research and Extension Center in Scottsbluff, I focused my research efforts on intensifying and diversifying the winter wheat-fallow cropping system.

To help more Californians address challenging issues, University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources has hired UC Cooperative Extension experts to work in communities stretching from Humboldt and Siskiyou counties in the north, and south to San Diego County.

Silverleaf nightshade, Solanum Elaeagnifolium, is perennial weed that is native to South America, Mexico, American Southwest and Southern States.

The multicolored Asian lady beetle, Harmonia axyridis, has a bad reputation. There is a common myth online that this lady beetle (ladybug) is invasive and aggressive, which can sometimes lead to people killing these beetles.