Pests in the Urban Landscape

First things first: "murder" hornets, or more correctly, the Asian giant hornet, have NOT been found in California. The term murder hornet is also not quite accurate.

Anthracnose is a group of fungal diseases that infect many trees and shrubs, causing dark lesions on leaves and cankers on twigs and stems. In some areas of California, vegetables and turfgrass can also be infected with anthracnose. Symptoms of anthracnose vary by plant host and weather conditions.

Warmer weather means many pests are flying and joining you indoors while you shelter-in-place or outdoors while you are getting some exercise or keeping connected yet socially distant from the neighbors. Lately you may have seen some large, leggy insects bumbling around on your walls and windows.

While we are staying home during the pandemic, insects are most definitely not! In fact, you may have seen different types of insects swarming over the last few weeks.

As you practice social distancing during COVID-19, you may find yourself spending more time in the garden. As we move into nice weather, we are sharing a few gardening tips for pest management. Manage weeds using nonchemical methods such as cultivation, handweeding, or mowing.