Pests in the Urban Landscape

Urban neighborhood and park.

The Pests in the Urban Landscape blog shares the latest sustainable pest management news and information from the UC IPM Urban & Community Program. 

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Orange and yellow tomato on the ground, partially eaten by a rat.
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Rats in the Garden

August 4th, 2020
If you are growing tomatoes in your garden, you may not be the only vertebrate going for your hard earned harvest. Are rats feasting away in the garden? We have a couple resources we can share to help you reduce or prevent rat damage to your tomatoes.
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Products containing carbaryl, like some Sevin products, won't be sold in retail nursuries and garden centers.
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Carbaryl Becomes Restricted Material

July 29th, 2020
By Karey Windbiel, Belinda Messenger-Sikes
Starting August 1, 2020, all pesticides containing the active ingredient carbaryl will be designated as restricted materials in California, except for baits labeled only for agricultural use.
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Unlabeled seeds from unsolicited packages.
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Report Unsolicited Seeds to APHIS

July 28th, 2020
Have you had unexpected seeds show up in the mail? Unknown seeds could be invasive plants, contain invasive insects, or have plant disease causing agents. Here's what the United States Department of Agriculture Animal Plant and Health Inspection Service (USDA APHIS) has to say about it.
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Head lice adults, nymphs, and eggs (nits). [Credit: Dr. Shujuan (Lucy) Li]
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Want Another Reason to Practice Social Distancing? Head Lice.

July 20th, 2020
By Karey Windbiel, Belinda Messenger-Sikes
Most people are practicing social distancing due to the current pandemic, so contracting head lice might not be a top concern right now. However, many families with young children have at least one encounter with head lice at some time or another.
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Figure 1. A healthy backyard lawn. (Credit: C Reynolds)
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Lawn Problems: Diseases Are Not Always To Blame

July 16th, 2020
By Janet S Hartin
Your customers want their lawns to be beautiful and functional (Figure 1) but dead patches or other problems sometimes occur. Figuring out the cause of turfgrass damage can be a challenge since many plant pathogens affect grasses as well as numerous abiotic (non-living) disorders.
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