June 9, 2025
FST: Will Your House Be Their Next Meal?
Presented by Dr. Siavash Taravati
Formosan subterranean termites are one of the most destructive urban pests in the world and also the only termite species listed in the ‘100 of the World's Worst Invasive Alien Species.' Endemic to East Asia, this termite is now established in many tropical and subtropical regions, including across the American South. Annually, its infestation costs more than $4 billion in control measures and damage repairs of structures in the U.S.
Only a handful of FST infestations have been identified in California since 1992. However, once FST is established in an area, there have been no records of successful eradication anywhere in the world. A major reason why the Formosan subterranean termite is so destructive is the enormous size of their colonies, which can reach millions of individuals, versus most native subterranean species that reach a few hundred thousand individual termites per colony. Also, unlike California native subterranean termite species, FST can attack and kill live trees and plants.
 | Siavash Taravati is an Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Advisor at UC ANR’s UC Cooperative Extension (UCCE) in Riverside County. His job involves doing research and extension activities on different aspects of structural IPM. He covers a highly populated area which includes but is not limited to Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, and San Bernardino Counties. Also, he is a member of University of California Statewide IPM program. Dr. Taravati specifically works on structural pests (i.e. any pest that occurs inside or around buildings) such as termites, cockroaches, store product pests, ants, flies, etc.
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June 10, 2025
Anticipating the Next Invasive Threat to California
Presented by Dr. Mark Hoddle
In his 2023 paper "A New Paradigm: Proactive Biological Control of Invasive Insect Pests," Dr. Mark Hoddle notes that 44% of invasive species that establish in California originate from invasion bridgeheads established elsewhere in the US and Canada, Dr. Hoddle advocates for conducting “horizon scans” for “door knocker” species that have already established those invasion bridgeheads and are exhibiting a propensity for spread. In the case of spotted lanternfly, which is well established in the Northeastern US, researchers used horizon scanning , determined the potential threat to California agriculture, sourced an egg parasitoid directly from China for potential use as a biological control agent and assessed the parasitoid’s host range and host specificity prior to the arrival of spotted lanternfly in California – keep in mind that it has not yet established here. Dr. Hoddle further suggests that we also should be scanning for unknown or unpredictable entities that fall into the “emerging invasive species” category prior to them establishing “invasion bridgeheads” and becoming obvious “door knockers” which could be done by focusing on pests at the point of origin for crops that are imported here in large volumes.
 | Dr. Mark Hoddle has headed the research in the UC Riverside Applied Biological Control Research laboratory since 1997 and is primarily involved in the identification of pest problems where biological control could be a successful approach. The location, release and evaluation of natural enemy impacts on population growth features strongly in his research. The evaluation of biological control agents are conducted primarily in the field and, when necessary, aspects of both pest and natural enemy biology and behavior are studied in the laboratory. He is also the director of the Center for Invasive Species Research. |
June 11, 2025
Don't Move a (Golden) Mussel
Presented by Martha Volkoff
Golden mussel, an invasive, non-native freshwater/brackish water bivalve, was discovered in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta (Delta) in October 2024. This discovery is the first known occurrence of golden mussel in North America and was likely introduced to California by a ship traveling from an international port. Golden mussel is native to rivers and creeks of China, Thailand, Korea, Laos, Vietnam, Indonesia, and Cambodia.
They are known to be established outside of their native range in other Asian countries including Hong Kong, Taiwan, Japan, and South American countries including Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay. Within the invaded range significant impacts are documented resulting from the dense colonization (biofouling) of golden mussel on hard surfaces. Heavy encrustations have blocked municipal and industrial water intakes, necessitated ongoing biofouling removal, altered species assemblages, and diminished water quality. Golden mussel poses a significant immediate threat to the natural ecosystems, water conveyance systems, infrastructure, agriculture, economy, and water quality throughout California and across the United States (US). Golden mussel is similar in appearance, biology, and impacts to quagga and zebra mussels but can establish in waters with considerably lower calcium levels than these other mussels require, and thus most California waters are at risk for golden mussel establishment.
 | Martha Volkoff, Environmental Program Manager for the Habitat Conservation Planning Branch’s Invasive Species Program, has worked for the Department for 25 years, the past 16 of those in the Invasive Species Program. A native to the Sacramento area, Martha earned her BS and MS in Biology, with a Concentration in Conservation, from CSU Sacramento.
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June 12, 2025
The Fast and the Furriest: Rats, Traps, and Winning the Race
Presented by Dr. Niamh Quinn
Rats are among the most troublesome and economically significant pests in the world. Two introduced species of rats, roof rats and Norway rats, are present in almost all cities across California, and are particularly widespread in San Francisco and Los Angeles. Their populations are likely to increase dramatically in coming years as rodenticides are banned in most cases. Rats are pests because they may eat and contaminate food and damage structures and other property. Rats can also transmit parasites and diseases to humans and other animals and have been associated with medically significant allergic responses in humans.
Dr. Quinn will discuss the ongoing and increasing threat posed by invasive rat species and how homeowners can effectively fight the battle by correctly using snap traps.
 | Niamh Quinn is University of California Cooperative Extension Human-Wildlife Interactions Advisor, based at the South Coast Research and Extension Center in Irvine. She facilitates interactions and information exchange among campus based academics, CE advisors and community stakeholders. Her focus is directed on the coordination of Cooperative Extension programming regarding human-wildlife conflicts, particularly within the residential and industrial areas within Southern California where significant human-wildlife conflicts are occurring, with concentration in Los Angeles, Orange, and San Diego Counties. Human-wildlife conflicts include increasingly critical issues such as negative impacts of wild or feral mammals and birds in agricultural production, food safety, public health and safety, forestry, and natural resource conservation. Niamh's previous research efforts have focused on human-wildlife conflicts in California nut crops and lowland rice ecosystems in Southeast Asia. She earned a BS in zoology and PhD in small mammal ecology, both from National University of Ireland, Galway. |
June 13, 2025
Palms and Eucalyptus Under Threat in the Golden State
Presented by Dr. Eric Middleton
Although Eucalyptus and most palms are not native to California, both tree types have been prominent features of the state's landscape for more than a century. Recently, invasive pests have followed these exotic trees to California, where they are threatening the trees' appearance and health. Two species that currently are generating widespread concern are the South American Palm Weevil, which has decimated palms in San Diego County and is slowly moving north toward the iconic palms of Orange and Los Angeles counties, and the seemingly ubiquitous Dotted Paropsine Leaf Beetle, which may not be killing trees but is nonetheless a very messy nuisance wherever Eucalyptus trees are close to homes and businesses.
 | Eric Middleton joined UC Cooperative Extension as an Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Advisor at the beginning of June 2022. Although he is based in San Diego County, Eric is also responsible for IPM needs in Orange and Los Angeles counties. Eric will work with growers and communities wherever pests are an issue, including in nursery and floriculture production, citrus and avocado groves, and the many small farms found in San Diego county. Eric has a background in entomology and integrated pest management. He earned his B.S in Biology from the University of Utah before attending the University of Minnesota for his PhD. At Minnesota, |