Last Saturday, UC IPM staff greeted a swarm of visitors at their Picnic Day booth. Picnic Day, UC Davis' annual Open House event, invites people to visit the campus and interact with fun and educational exhibits. UC IPM has participated in Picnic Day for more than a decade and this year attracted visitors to their booth with live insects like hissing cockroaches, a termite colony, and crane flies. UC IPM staff answered many questions about pests, pesticides, and cleared up misconceptions about some common insects.
What did we talk with people about?
Ant control, indoors and out
Beneficial insects and spiders (natural enemies)
Cockroach identification
Invasive pests: why you shouldn't move firewood
Bed bugs
How to tell the difference between green fruit beetles and the invasive Japanese beetle
Lady beetle (ladybug) life cycle- don't squish the “good bugs!”
Controlling termites around the home
How to tell ants and termites apart
Snail and slug damage
Mealybugs on cactus and succulents
Many people confuse jumping spiders with black widow spiders
Crane flies are NOT giant mosquitoes, nor do they eat mosquitoes
You don't have to attend Picnic Day to get this information! The UC IPM website is available anytime for help with home, garden, turf, and landscape pests. You can also contact your local UC Master Gardener Program or UC Cooperative Extension for assistance identifying pests and finding solutions.