UCCE Master Gardeners of San Joaquin County

The dotted paropsine leaf beetle (Paropsis atomaria), an invasive pest native to Australia, was first discovered in California in 2022 and is rapidly spreading throughout Southern California targeting eucalyptus trees. Both adult beetles and their larvae feed on eucalyptus leaves, causing significant…

 UC Davis doctoral student Iris Quayle of the Department of Entomology and Nematology is heading to the Namib Desert of southwestern Africa in October to do research on darkling beetles.And she could not be more excited.Quayle, advised by Professor Jason Bond—he is the Evert and Marion Schlinger Endowed…

 What's that bug?If you're painting your house, a mural, or your vehicle, you have a better chance of seeing it.Vacaville artist Joi McNeill, who is painting a mural on a building in the 300 block of Merchant Street, Vacaville, saw one today. She's working on a mural that includes the Old Town Hall, a…

What happens when nutrition experts team up with gardening pros? Communities across California get healthier, one garden at a time.The partnership between CalFresh Healthy Living, UC, and the UC Master Gardener Program combines the best of both programs under UC Agriculture and Natural Resources. The UC…

 Some folks consider mosquitoes, flies and cockroaches and other pests as "the insects of summer."No, the "insects of summer" include a flame skimmer dragonfly perched on a bamboo stick, a honey bee foraging on a blanket flower, a lady beetle (aka ladybug) devouring aphids, and a Gulf Fritillary…

Its out.  Check it out. The Spring edition of Topics in Subtropics quarterly newsletter covering all things subtropical at some point in time.  Bodil Cass, our entomology specialist at UC Riverside is the editor.Editor: Bodil Cass Spring 2025TOPICS IN THIS ISSUE• Bifenthrin application…

 When UC Davis Distinguished Professor Walter Leal of the Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology headed for Washington D.C. in April to be inducted into the National Academy of Sciences (NAS), he stopped by the Albert Einstein memorial, located at the corner of the NAS grounds.Leal read Einstein's…

By Ellen Bruno and Nick Hagerty  California is now ten years into a revolution in groundwater management. In 2014, the state passed the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA) which requires newly formed local groundwater sustainability agencies to develop long-term plans to reduce overdraft by…

You have probably heard about the “good bugs” that eat pest insects around your home and garden, like ladybugs, lacewings, and spiders. You may have even purchased some beneficial insects or nematodes at a garden store. Good bugs can also help us manage invasive species, but the process is a bit more…

 Have you visited the UC Davis Bee Haven lately?It's thriving with more plants, more pollinators, and more projects since its renovation launched last summer.The half-acre bee friendly demonstration garden, installed in the fall of 2009 on Bee Biology Road, is located next to the Harry H. Laidlaw Jr…

Tumbleweeds rolling across the landscape may make you think of classic old Western movies, but tumbleweeds, or Russian thistle, is more common today than you might think. This invasive plant can grow anywhere the soil is disturbed and once it matures, it breaks off its stem and the dried plant blows across…

 If you're concerned about the loss of academic research in our universities--why it matters and what you can do--you'll want to register for this UC Davis-based webinar. Nobel Laureate Randy Schekman, a Distinguished Professor in the UC Berkeley Department of Molecular and Cell Biology--and…

 Where are all the monarchs?Last year at this time,  we recorded monarchs arriving here in Vacaville, Solano County, to lay their eggs on our milkweed. So far this year: zero, zip, zilch.  Let's throw in a little nada, too, for good measure. Zero, zip, zilch, nada.Earlier this year, the…

As food prices continue to rise, many of us are turning to our backyards or patios to grow fresh vegetables. But did you know that planting vegetables alone might not be enough? To get the most from your garden, you need pollinators – those busy bees, butterflies, and other creatures that help your plants…

 In a state where agriculture is a $59 billion industry, a quiet revolution is changing how Californians experience farming—not just as consumers, but as guests, learners, and partners. Agritourism, once a niche side venture for farmers, is now a significant and growing segment of the rural economy…

 Does the common checkered skipper butterfly have a checkered past?That is, "good" and "bad" periods in its life history?It's known as Burnsius communis, formerly Pyrgus communis, a species of butterfly in the family Hesperiidae. It derives its common name from its checkerboard pattern of blue-gray and…