From the UC Blogosphere...

Bagrada bug menacing Santa Barbara gardeners and farmers

Seemingly out of nowhere, thousands of bagrada bugs have descended on Santa Barbara County gardens and organic farms, reported Joan Bolton in Noozhawk.

Bagrada bugs are native to east and southern Africa, Egypt, Zaire and Senegal, according to the Center for Invasive Species Research at UC Riverside. They first appeared four years ago in Los Angeles County, and rapidly spread through Southern California and southern Arizona.

Surendra Dara, UC Cooperative Extension advisor in Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties, first wrote about bagrada bugs in his Strawberries and Vegetables Blog last January, when the pest was only found in Imperial, Riverside and Orange counties. Last month, Dara said the Santa Barbara agricultural commissioner received specimens from Solvang and found infestations of bagrada bug on mustard in other areas, making an official record of this pest in the county.

Conventional farmers are controlling bagrada bugs with pyrethroids and organophosphates like chlorpyrifos and malathion. However, because the bugs are so new to scientists, they haven’t yet figured out much in the way of organic controls, Dara said.

Acorn To An Oak Tree

    Acorn To An Oak Tree By Ann Dozier  Master Gardener   Many oak trees sprout on my...

When Harry (Hoogstraal) Met Bill (Reisen)

It's good to see UC Davis research entomologist William "Bill" Reisen named the recipient of the coveted Harry Hoogstraal...

UC Davis research entomologist William Reisen. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

UC Davis research entomologist William Reisen. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

What's That Buzz?

When the Onward California tour rolls into Davis next week, the Harry H. Laidlaw Jr. Honey Bee Research Facility will share...

Honey bee nectaring Mexican sunflower (Tithonia) at the Haagen-Dazs Honey Bee Haven, UC Davis. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Honey bee nectaring Mexican sunflower (Tithonia) at the Haagen-Dazs Honey Bee Haven, UC Davis. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

This sign, the work of noted artist Donna Billick of Davis, greets visitors to the Harry H. Laidlaw Jr. Honey Bee Research Facility on Bee Biology Road, UC Davis. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

This sign, the work of noted artist Donna Billick of Davis, greets visitors to the Harry H. Laidlaw Jr. Honey Bee Research Facility on Bee Biology Road, UC Davis. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Oh, the Life of a Praying Mantis...

Oh, the life of a praying mantis... You can hang upside down like an acrobat, shading yourself from the sun while waiting...

Praying mantis hangs upside down on a zinnia. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Praying mantis hangs upside down on a zinnia. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Praying mantis eating a bee. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Praying mantis eating a bee. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Mating pair of praying mantids. The green one (left) is the male. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Mating pair of praying mantids. The green one (left) is the male. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

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