Pests in the Urban Landscape

The cool, wet spring that California has experienced this year comes with many benefits, but also some drawbacks. For the false chinch bug, a small insect commonly found in grassy or weedy areas, this year's weather may result in a population boom.

The Formosan subterranean termite (FST), Coptotermes formosanus, is a very destructive pest first reported in California in 1992 in La Mesa, San Diego County. FST has since been found in Canyon Lake, Riverside County, Rancho Santa Fe (San Diego County) and Highland Park (Los Angeles County).

Multi-unit housing (MUH), such as apartment complexes and single-room occupancy (SRO) buildings, can harbor significant infestations of cockroaches, bed bugs, rodents, and other pests.

Although all cockroaches in California are considered pests, the Turkestan cockroach is of particular concern.

There are several flatheaded boring beetles in California, however only a few are of particular concern. The goldspotted oak borer (GSOB), Agrilus auroguttatus, is a metallic wood-boring beetle that threatens our native trees.