Pest Management & Plant Health

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A healthy sycamore tree next to a dead sycamore tree with no leaves.
Pests in the Urban Landscape: Article

Invasive shothole borers: tiny but deadly

August 7, 2023
By Lauren Fordyce
They may seem too tiny to do much damage to a mature, healthy tree, but invasive shothole borers (ISHB) are responsible for the deaths of tens of thousands of trees in Southern California. These beetles bore into trees and infect them with Fusarium dieback, a fungal disease that kills the trees.
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Figure 1. Toxic perennials include curly dock (Rumex crispus) and larkspur (Delphinium spp).
UC Weed Science (weed control, management, ecology, and minutia): Article

Managing toxic plants

August 6, 2023
By Gale Perez
Some plants thrive even in dry years, while others need wet years to really blossom. It's no surprise, then, that this year the University of California Cooperative Extension (UCCE) Fresno office has received several inquiries about potentially toxic plants and how to deal with them.
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A green bottle fly feasts on a cockroach, thought to be a Turkestan cockroach, a newer species in California. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Bug Squad: Article

It's Friday Fly Day!

August 4, 2023
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
It's Friday Fly Day! Time to post an image of a fly. Or two flies. On a cockroach. The scenario: a large cockroach drowned in a small water trough located near downtown Vacaville, Calif., and when the water drained, the roach slid out. It proved to be a feast for green bottle flies.
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The IPM Hour logo
UC Weed Science (weed control, management, ecology, and minutia): Article

WEBINAR :: Potential biocontrol management for puncturevine

August 3, 2023
By Gale Perez
The August edition of the IPM Hour features Kristen Bowers from New Mexico State University discussing her research into using climate-adapted insect biocontrol agents to control puncturevine in the West.
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ISHB News: Article

UC IPM Pest Note on ISHB

August 2, 2023
By Randall Oliver
The authoritative source for current knowledge of ISHB/FD is the UC IPM Pest Note on Invasive shothole borers (ISHB), authored by Beatriz Nobua-Behrmann, UC Cooperative Extension, Orange County; Akif Eskalen, UC Davis Plant Pathology; Stacy Hishinuma, USDA Forest Service; Shannon Lynch, State Univ.
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Entomologist Frank Zalom in an almond orchard. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Entomology & Nematology News: Article

Frank Zalom, Entomologist Extraordinaire

July 28, 2023
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
Frank Zalom never set out to study insect science. The UC Davis distinguished professor emeritus, an icon in the entomological world, especially in integrated pest management (IPM), grew up thinking that he might be working for the telephone company.
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A yellow and black striped wasp with its wings raised, walking on a branch.
Pests in the Urban Landscape: Article

Stinging Insects of Summer

July 26, 2023
By Lauren Fordyce
You've likely come across a bee, wasp, or hornet this summer. While these insects can cause painful stings, and allergic reactions for some, they are not usually aggressive. In the landscape, they can be beneficial by providing pollination to plants and, for some, preying on pest insects.
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Snowy
UC Weed Science (weed control, management, ecology, and minutia): Article

Is that Thistle Native or Invasive?

July 24, 2023
By Thomas J Getts
Ten years ago, Guy Kyser wrote an excellent blog on the identification of Northern California's Big Three invasive thistles.
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A white-lined sphinx moth, Hyles lineata. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Bug Squad: Article

Where to Meet Some Lepidopterists and Dipterists--and Learn About Mosquitoes!

July 20, 2023
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
Moths will grab the spotlight at the Bohart Museum of Entomology's open house on Saturday, July 22 but besides Lepidopterists (those who study butterflies and moths), attendees can meet and greet dipterists (those who study flies), learn about mosquitoes from the author of a newly published children...
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The UC Davis Shahid Siddique lab excelled at the international Society of Nematologists' 62nd annual meeting, held in Columbus, Ohio. Pictured with Siddique are doctoral students in his lab. From left are Ching-Jung Lin, Veronica Casey, Pallavi Shakya and Alison Coomer Blundell, all award winners.
Bug Squad: Article

Shahid Siddique Lab Shines at International Society of Nematologists' Meeting

July 18, 2023
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
Congrats to the lab of nematologist Shahid Siddique, UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology, for excellent presentations at the 62nd annual meeting of the Society of Nematologists (SON), held July 9-14 in Columbus, Ohio: Alison Coomer Blundell, who will be a fourth-year doctoral candidate...
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