Pests in the Urban Landscape

Urban neighborhood and park.

The Pests in the Urban Landscape blog shares the latest resources and information from the UC IPM Urban & Community team to help you sustainably manage pests in the home, garden, and landscape. 

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Fertilizing a lawn. (Credit: Steven E. Lock)
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Summer Lawn Care

July 25, 2018
By Anne E Schellman
Keep your lawn healthy during summer and throughout the year by learning more about proper mowing, watering, pest control, and maintenance. To do this, refer to the UC Guide to Healthy Lawns, an online publication specifically about lawn care.
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Poison-oak growing on a tree as a climbing vine. (Credit: Joseph M. DiTomaso)
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Removing Poison Oak

July 22, 2018
By Anne E Schellman
Before hiking, backpacking, or camping, people are warned to avoid poison oak.
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Rat. (Credit: Niamh Quinn)
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Rat Management in School and Community Gardens

July 17, 2018
By Niamh M Quinn
It is important for food-safety reasons to manage rats in school and community gardens. Rats and other wildlife can carry a number of diseases that can be deposited in the form of urine and feces on fruit, vegetables, and in the soil.
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Oak apple galls on valley oak. (Credit: Jack Kelly Clark)
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Oak Galls

July 15, 2018
By Anne E Schellman
What are those curious, colorful, odd-looking growths you've seen growing on oak trees? Ever wonder what those little seeds are that jump around on the ground underneath oak trees in July or August?
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Japanese beetle. Credit: D. Cappaert, Bugwood.org)
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Seeing Japanese beetles in your California landscape? Not likely.

July 10, 2018
By Karey Windbiel-Rojas
Originally posted August 26, 2016; edited July 10, 2018 Have you seen big green beetles in your California yard or garden? Or beetles feeding on your roses or other plants? There are many kinds of beetles commonly found in our landscapes, but the Japanese beetle is not one of them.
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