Pests in the Urban Landscape

[Originally published in the Fall 2018 issue of the Green Bulletin. Modified slightly from original.] Invasive wood-boring beetles are attacking hundreds of thousands of trees in southern California, including commercial avocados, and trees within urban landscapes and wildland environments.

The Asian citrus psyllid is an insect that can carry a deadly tree disease called Huanglongbing or citrus greening.

[From the Fall 2018 issue of UC IPM's Green Bulletin newsletter] The dark rover ant (Brachymyrmex patagonicus) is an invasive species which is increasingly being noticed in Southern California. It is a nuisance species that invades structures as both workers and winged (alate) individuals.

Controlling weeds can be challenging to landscape professionals or home gardeners since landscapes often include a mix of turfgrass, annual plants, herbaceous perennials, shrubs, and trees.

Are you seeing cars, sidewalks, driveways, or other plants covered in sticky stuff, especially those under trees? This sticky substance, called honeydew, is produced by certain insects that excrete it when they feed on plants.