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What's biting (or bothering) me?! Find out at workshop

IPM experts tackle springtime household pests during free webinar

This is a carpenter ant, which can be found in tree stumps,
firewood, fence posts, hollow doors or window frames.
(Photo by Jack Kelly Clark, courtesy UC IPM)

It’s a common spring refrain: What’s eating my garden?! That’s coupled with an equally common complaint: What’s biting me?!

Find out during an informative webinar presented by the UC Statewide Integrated Pest Management Program.

Set for 1 p.m. Thursday, May 20, “Springtime Household Pests” will look at the many bugs and other critters that may invade our homes this time of year. People may be familiar with ants and roaches, but they’re only part of a parade of potential pests. Conditions right now are particularly bad (from a people perspective) for invasive mosquitoes.

“This webinar will cover identification and management of pests encountered in the home during springtime, including carpet beetles, fleas and fungus gnats associated with houseplants,” according to the UC IPM team.

Dr. Andrew Sutherland, the urban IPM adviser for the San Francisco Bay Area, will present the 1-hour workshop, focusing on pests most common in California. Registration is free, but required to get the link and password. Find link and details here:
https://ucanr.edu/sites/ucipm-community-webinars/ .

This webinar is part of a new monthly series presented by UC IPM experts at 1 p.m. the third Thursday of each month.

Next up at 1 p.m. June 17: “IPM for Rodents.” Learn how to outsmart Norway rats, roof rats, mice and other common rodents – maybe even squirrels!

Use the same registration link for details.

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Garden Checklist for week of Nov. 3

November still offers good weather for fall planting:

* If you haven't already, it's time to clean up the remains of summer. Pull faded annuals and vegetables. Prune dead or broken branches from trees.

* Now is the best time to plant most trees and shrubs. This gives them plenty of time for root development before spring growth. They also benefit from fall and winter rains.

* Set out cool-weather annuals such as pansies and snapdragons.

* Lettuce, cabbage and broccoli also can be planted now.

* Plant garlic and onions.

* Keep planting bulbs to spread out your spring bloom. Some possible suggestions: daffodils, crocuses, hyacinths, tulips, anemones and scillas.

* This is also a good time to seed wildflowers and plant such spring bloomers as sweet pea, sweet alyssum and bachelor buttons.

* Rake and compost leaves, but dispose of any diseased plant material. For example, if peach and nectarine trees showed signs of leaf curl this year, clean up under trees and dispose of those leaves instead of composting.

* Save dry stalks and seedpods from poppies and coneflowers for fall bouquets and holiday decorating.

* For holiday blooms indoors, plant paperwhite narcissus bulbs now. Fill a shallow bowl or dish with 2 inches of rocks or pebbles. Place bulbs in the dish with the root end nestled in the rocks. Add water until it just touches the bottom of the bulbs. Place the dish in a sunny window. Add water as needed.

* Give your azaleas, gardenias and camellias a boost with chelated iron.

* For larger blooms, pinch off some camellia buds.

* Prune non-flowering trees and shrubs while dormant.

* To help prevent leaf curl, apply a copper fungicide spray to peach and nectarine trees after they lose their leaves this month. Leaf curl, which shows up in the spring, is caused by a fungus that winters as spores on the limbs and around the tree in fallen leaves. Sprays are most effective now.

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