Backyard Orchard News
Citrus Thrips Field Day at Lindcove REC Was a Success!
On Sept 13, a field day was held at Lindcove Research and Extension Center to discuss citrus thrips biology and management. We utilized the mobile laboratory for a powerpoint presentation and to support microscopes that showed various stages of citrus thrips and flower thrips. We also visited a pesticide spray trial to talk about efficacy of various pesticides.
Take home messages:
- The immature stages of citrus thrips are the most damaging
- In mature trees, protect fruit not foliage
- In young trees, be careful of spraying too much or you will select the thrips for resistance
- Thrips are tough to control in drought years
The entomology lab at Lindcove is going to start monitoring for resistance this fall.
If you have sites that have thrips that you would like tested, contact Joshua Reger jereger@ucanr.edu.
Fluttering Along on a Butterfly Tour
They explored the amazing diversity of butterflies. Nearly 90 butterfly enthusiasts--from senior...
Entomologist Joel Hernandez discusses butterflies and moths. In the background are some of his specimens. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Entomologist Joel Hernandez stops to answer a question during the tour. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
The "Butterflies Up Close" tour group fans out. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Tour member Ria deGrassi of Davis checks out the insect activity on the showy milkweed, Asclepias speciosa. An alumnus of UC Davis, she holds a master's degree in animal science. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
There's a Genetic Component to the Host Choice of This Malaria Mosquito
A mosquito that feeds on both humans and cattle and is the primary vector of malaria in east Africa...
Villagers and cattle along the road near Pimperena in southern Mali. UC Davis researchers have announced that mosquito preference for human-versus-animal biting has a genetic component. (Photo by Yoosook Lee, UC Davis)
Her Shoes Are as Magical and Enchanting as Lightning Bugs
She's known fondly as "The Wasp Woman" (wasps are her specialty) and now she may be known as "The...
Lynn Kimsey gets ready to lace up her new shoes, painted with cuckoo wasps. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Lynn Kimsey, director of the Bohart Museum of Entomology, wearing the "magic shoes" in her office. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Why They're Cautioning: 'Use Antimicrobials Wisely'
UC Davis evolutionary ecologist Scott Carroll and colleagues are on a mission. When the United...
The malaria mosquito, Anopheles gambiae. Evolutionary ecologist Scott Carroll and colleagues point to a World Health Organization paper indicating that malaria is one of the diseases that "can no longer be cured with many older antibiotics or medicines." (Photo by Anthony Cornel, UC Davis)