Backyard Orchard News
Oh, What a (Moth) Night!
Oh, what a (moth) night! Saturday, July 18 marked the beginning of National Moth...
Moth Night at the Bohart Museum of Entomology was the first-ever evening open house. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
The Moth Night crowd at the Bohart Museum of Entomology awaiting moths. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
"Moth Man" John DeBenedictis of Davis explains the backlighting system to a youngster. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
UC Davis entomology student Wade Spencer (center, n black shirt) talks bugs to an enthusiastic crowd. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Entomologist Jeff Smith, a Bohart Museum associate, explains how to spread a moth's wings to Lauren Mitchell, a UC Davis student majoring in ecology, evolution and diversity. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
The Nansen sisters (from left) Emma, 12, Molly, 6, and Miriam, 15, of Davis display entomology buttons. They helped visitors create buttons. Their mother, Maria, is a volunteer at the Bohart, and their father, Christian, is a UC Davis entomologist. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Annual Citrus Tristeza Virus Testing at LREC
Each year the Lindcove Research and Extension Center tests every field tree for citrus tristeza...
Calculate Your VOC Emissions
As summer continues to heat up, keep in mind that regulations remain in effect to reduce the volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that can be emitted into the atmosphere by pesticides and other harmful chemicals and contribute to the amount of ozone or smog in the environment.
Calculators from the Department of Pesticide Regulation (DPR) that determine the VOC emissions from fumigant and non-fumigant pesticides before application are available to help growers, pest control advisers, and pesticide applicators comply with the regulations. The UC Statewide Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Program provides a link to these calculators from each of the treatment tables in the UC Pest Management Guidelines. Click on the Air Quality – Calculate emissions button.
Take steps to reduce VOCs. Avoid emulsifiable concentrate (EC) formulations as they release the highest VOC emissions. Pesticide control advisers and growers can also reduce VOC emissions by employing IPM practices such as using resistant varieties, traps, exclusion, and biological control. When using pesticides, spot-treat and seek low-emission materials. Solid formulations, such as granules or powders, are best.
Check the fact sheet on the DPR web site for the most up-to-date-information on VOC restrictions and regulations.
Plants Can Eavesdrop, Sense Danger
Plants can eavesdrop. They can sense danger. So says ecologist Richard 'Rick' Karban,...
Ecologist Rick Karban has researched plant communication in sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata) on the east side of the Sierra since 1995.
Updates on Huanglongbing Disease and Asian Citrus Psyllid
The UC ANR web site Asian Citrus Psyllid Distribution and Management http://ucanr.edu/sites/ACP/Distribution_of_ACP_in_California/ provides a zoomable web map that shows the quarantine boundaries around the HLB-infected trees (found and removed) in southern California.
If you click on the layers drop down arrow, you can turn off the ACP layer and check the box for the newly released Diaphorencyrtus parasitic wasp and see where it has been released to help reduce Asian citrus psyllid in residential areas (you can also view the Tamarixia wasp). http://ucanr.edu/sites/ACP/Distribution_of_ACP_in_California/