Summer is here and so are the pests! Keep an eye out for the following pests and take these steps to prevent problems in the garden or landscape this June. To see more tips specific to your region, visit the Seasonal Landscape IPM Checklist on the UC IPM website.

• Check plants for leaf stippling or webbing from spider mites. Irrigate adequately, mist leaf undersides daily, reduce dustiness, or spray horticultural oil to manage them.
• Maintain a fire safe landscape by creating “defensible space”. Thin out thick vegetation and eliminate fuel ladders that allow fire to climb up trees or structures. Remove dry, resinous or dead plants and flammable debris. Cut branches back 15 to 20 feet from buildings. Use non-combustible surfaces for walkways, patios and driveways.
• Inspect plants for aphids and their natural enemies. Protect young plants with covers; most established plants can tolerate aphid feeding.
• Monitor for redhumped caterpillars. Look for skeletonized leaves or individual caterpillars feeding on sweet gum, plum, walnut, redbud, and other deciduous trees and shrubs.
• Check for fire blight on pome plants such as apple, crabapple, pear, and pyracantha. Signs include oozing and dead limbs. Make proper pruning cuts in the summer or winter when the bacteria is no longer spreading through the tree.
• Look for leaffooted bugs feeding on fruit and nuts such as almonds, pistachios, and pomegranates.
• Inspect apple, citrus and especially stone fruit for bacterial blast, blight, and canker. Remove entire affected branches in the summer, making cuts several inches away in healthy wood.

Don't see your county on the checklist or want to provide feedback? Let us know!

Pest prevention tips for June.