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A Tiger and a Tithonia
When a tiger meets a Tithonia, or a Tithonia meets a tiger, Nature bursts forth in all its...
A Western tiger swallowtail lands on a Mexican sunflower and begins to nectar. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
The Western tiger swallowtail decides that "leaving" is good. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
The "tiger" begins to make a quick exit. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Tail up, and off it goes, the Western tiger swallowtail caught in flight. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Visual ID guide from UC aids in managing new almond pest
Nut orchard hygiene key to control carpophilus beetle, say UCCE, UC Integrated Pest Management experts
Since the first reports of a new almond pest – the carpophilus beetle (Carpophilus truncatus) – came in during fall 2023, it has become clear that the beetle is widely dispersed across the San Joaquin Valley.
“My lab has identified infestations from every county in the San Joaquin Valley; we have found infestations in both almonds and pistachios, and we will likely find infestations in walnuts this fall,” said Houston Wilson, a University of California Cooperative Extension entomology specialist at UC Riverside. The California Department of Food and Agriculture has confirmed the beetle's presence in Stanislaus, Merced, Madera and Kings counties.
Historically a major threat to almond production in Australia, the beetle – as larvae and adults – feeds directly on the nut kernel. In California, some almond growers have lost 10 to 15% of their yield – a “significant economic loss,” according to Jhalendra Rijal, University of California integrated pest management (IPM) advisor for the region. Given the prominence of almonds as a commodity, even a 1% overall reduction statewide represents an approximately $70 million loss.
“This year there has been a lot more reports from PCAs [pest control advisers]; they're sending me the pictures of the damage and beetles,” said Rijal, noting that the increase is likely due to greater awareness of the pest.
To help almond growers identify the carpophilus beetle and develop management plans, Rijal, Wilson and their IPM colleagues have put together a visual ID guide for the beetle and the damage it causes, as well as telltale signs of navel orangeworm (Amyelois transitella) and ant damage. In particular, the experts would like PCAs and growers to differentiate between the carpophilus beetle and navel orangeworm, another key pest in almonds.
“Even though their way of causing damage looks more or less similar, we're dealing with two different types of insects,” Rijal explained. “One is a Lepidoptera moth [navel orangeworm], and the other one is a beetle – many of the management practices and biological controls would be different for these two different things.”
To control carpophilus beetle, ‘sanitize, sanitize, sanitize'
One crucial cultural practice for managing both pests, however, is destroying the remnant “mummy” nuts – the nuts that remain in the orchard postharvest. They serve as overwintering habitat for the carpophilus beetle, as well as its sustenance for the next generation of beetles in spring.
“The best way to manage this pest is to do the orchard hygiene – continuing the winter sanitation, destroying the nuts that are on the ground and on the tree and on the berms,” Rijal said.
Based on observations in Australia and locally, carpophilus beetles tend to rely more on mummies on the ground, whereas navel orangeworm generally favors mummies in the tree canopy. Correctly identifying the pest – with help from the new ID guide – enables growers to better target and prioritize their management efforts, Rijal said.
“What we are strongly emphasizing is that growers need to sanitize, sanitize, sanitize to control both pests,” Wilson added.
Correct identification of the pest would also prevent unnecessary application of insecticides, as those used for controlling Lepidoptera such as navel orangeworm would be largely ineffective on the beetle.
Indeed, another insight shared by Australian experts is that the carpophilus beetle cannot be controlled just by insecticide.
“Insecticides are not very efficient, given the cryptic nature of these beetles; exposing these beetles to the insecticide is very hard,” said Rijal, noting that the beetle spends most of its life cycle protected inside the nut.
Reporting carpophilus beetle infestation helps researchers
This harvest season, Rijal advises almond growers to harvest as efficiently as possible, to minimize the number of mummies that need to be cleaned up. And because signs of damage (like damaged hulls and frass) are most obvious during harvest time, Rijal said growers should review the new guide, using the photos and other resources to help identify potential pests.
If the grower or PCA suspects a carpophilus beetle infestation, they should contact the UCCE farm advisor in their area.
Scientists are looking to expand their knowledge about this relatively new pest to California. In the coming weeks, for example, researchers are planning to survey for the carpophilus beetle in the Sacramento Valley.
“Technically it has not been found there, but we suspect that we'll find it this fall when we go looking for it,” Wilson said.
Researchers are also collecting samples from infested orchards to better understand the biology of the species, as well as how it progresses through and responds to seasonal and climactic changes. In addition, they are analyzing data from a trial study of an insecticide that might be used as a supplemental control measure.
“This is our first full season dealing with this insect, and there are still many things we need to understand,” Rijal said. “We are continuing our research efforts on all fronts.”
/h3>/h3>/h3>Some Thoughts on Intellectual Honesty
I'm a sucker for buying books at the airport, I think it's because so much free time beckons not only at the airport while waiting to board but then also in the airplane itself.
So I recently bought at SeaTac the book "Think Again: The Power of Knowing What You Don't Know" by Adam Grant (helpfully subtitled #1New York Times Bestseller). It's about rethinking your own assumptions which seems like a good topic to read about.
A striking passage about midway into the book I think is worth sharing here, and that is the idea that it is one thing to admit to yourself that you are wrong, but then yet another to confess that you are wrong to others which can open the door to ridicule, loss of reputation and even status in your social circle.
To which author Grant shares the following story, I quote it directly out of the book since it has quite an impact:
"In the early 1990's, the British physicist Andrew Lyne published a major discovery in the world's most prestigious science journal. He presented the first evidence that a planet could orbit a neutron star - a star which had exploded into a super nova. Several months later, while preparing to give a presentation at an astronomy conference, he noticed that he hadn't adjusted for the fact that the Earth moves in an elliptical orbit, not a circular one. He was embarrassingly, horribly, wrong. The planet he had discovered didn't exist.
In front of hundreds of colleagues, Andrew walked into the ballroom stage and admitted his mistake. When he finished his confession, the room exploded in a standing ovation. One astrophysicist called it the most honorable thing he'd ever seen."
Author Grant draws from this the point that admitting we were wrong doesn't make us look less competent, but rather it's a display of honesty and a willingness to learn. In fact people can be judged more favorably if they acknowledge the new information or the information they have missed.
My own opinion on this is that obviously its important to be honest with yourself and with others, but it is striking to confess a mistake in front of hundreds of people. It might have been because the erroneous work had lot of impact and was already published in a major journal that Dr. Lyne made the decision to make it widely known what had gone down. The cynic in me also says, since the elliptical nature of Earth's orbit has been known since the early 1600's, he would have gotten found out so it was pretty clear that owning up to it fast was the best route to take anyway.
Those who have worked together with me know that I've certainly had my share of research washouts and monster mistakes and I've owned up to them (and also expect those working with me to do the same), but fortunately they became obvious before the official publication or presentation stage. If any of these errors had been found out later, and most certainly if others were basing their own work or decision-making on them, I think Dr. Lyne provides a good example on how to deal with it.
Any thoughts?
Gulf Frit and Tithonia: Showstoppers
The Gulf Fritillary, Agraulis vanillae, and the Mexican sunflower, Tithonia rotundifola, seem...
A Gulf Fritillary, Agraulis vanillae, fluttering over a Mexican sunflower, Tithonia rotundifola. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
UCCE popularizes at-home composting in Santa Clara County
Composting Education Program helps repurpose waste, reduce methane emissions
Composting recycles organic matter such as leaves and food scraps into a valuable soil amendment. Vermicompost produced by worms offers numerous benefits for plants, such as boosting their growth and making them more resistant to disease and insects than plants grown with other composts or fertilizers. University of California Cooperative Extension in Santa Clara County is helping to make composting a go-to strategy for diverting household organic waste from landfills and supporting soil health.
Based at Martial Cottle Park in San Jose, UCCE's Composting Education Program is a volunteer-driven program that educates and supports Santa Clara County residents in composting. The project is funded by the Recycling and Waste Reduction Commission of Santa Clara County, the principal advisory body to councils and the Board of Supervisors on countywide solid waste planning issues, through the tipping fees collected by the county when garbage is hauled to waste processing facilities. By offering public education on organic waste diversion, the program is helping the county fulfill its SB 1383 requirements.
Master Composter volunteers trained by UCCE experts offer free compost workshops, K-12 school visits and table at community events to teach backyard and worm composting. On volunteer workdays, community members help to maintain the compost stations. In 2023, the program engaged nearly 5,000 students, residents and volunteers in educational activities.
Volunteer and Master Composter Jack Carter values the circular nature of the composting system, with materials going from kitchen to compost bin to worms to garden – and then back into the kitchen. He emphasized that composting is a simple way to boost soil health and something every resident can do.
“It takes organic material that we would throw away and makes amendments to build our soil up,” he said. “It's easy if we follow some simple rules and it's fun because you watch things change into what you can use. Easy-peasy – everyone can do it.”
Unique location provides unmatched opportunities
Martial Cottle Park contains the last farmland within the City of San Jose. Established by Edward Cottle in 1856 and continually maintained and farmed by his descendants until 2014, the land remained in agricultural production for over 150 years. The 287-acre site was then donated to provide a place where people in the community could learn about agriculture and celebrate the agricultural roots of the county.
“We have lots of hands-on opportunities for compost education, gardening and youth development here,” said Sheila Barry, UCCE county director in Santa Clara County.
The compost is used at the nearby UC Master Gardener demonstration garden and the adjacent open field – used for 4-H youth development animal husbandry projects – provides manure for the vermicomposting site. “Some of the youths are not so happy about how far they have to cart it,” she joked, “but it's incorporated into our really great compost product.”
Victoria Roberts, coordinator for the Composting Education Program, said the composting location comprises a variety of features.
“We've got a worm farm, backyard composting stations, and there's even a bicycle trommel that we're working on to sift finished compost,” she explained. “As you spin the bike, you're sifting the large chunks from the compost to make a fine, delicious earthy material that we get to use on our plants.”
The worm farm is maintained on the community volunteer workdays. “We're feeding the worms and giving them their habitat material with shredded newspaper,” said Roberts. “It's a way for us to recycle paper and help the worms live their most productive lives.”
Program helps community see ‘waste' as resource
UCCE Organic Materials Management Advisor Michael Cohen shared a broader view of the organic waste system and Cooperative Extension's work in this area. “The goal is to find valuable uses for what we call organic waste and see it not as waste, but as a resource,” he said.
He also noted other valuable uses of organic material beyond composting.
“One thing you can do with food waste instead of composting it is to dehydrate it – there are even industrial machines that dehydrate it and grind it into powder, which retains all that food energy that can be incorporated into the soil,” Cohen said. “And if you tarp the soil, you can generate an anaerobic environment where microbes consume the oxygen.”
Cohen is planning collaborative research with the Hansen Agricultural Research and Extension Center, UCCE Strawberry and Vegetable Crop Advisor Oleg Daugovish, and UCCE Specialist Joji Muramoto that will examine the use of vermicompost – in combination with steaming soil – to create a microbial community that suppresses Fusarium wilt in strawberries.
Cohen stressed the importance of diverting food waste from landfills to reduce methane emissions and to comply with Senate Bill 1383 that requires 75 percent of organic waste be diverted for other uses by 2025. “The Santa Clara County food waste diversion program is operating quite well in getting food- and yard waste-derived compost to farmers,” he said.
He also noted that proliferation of at-home composting through programs like theirs will help ease the environmental burdens of centralized composting, such as truck emissions and wear and tear on the roads. “There are many uses for organic materials at home – in your yard, in your potting soil, as a top dressing on your lawn,” he said. “You can even do vermicomposting on a small scale in an apartment.”
Growth suggests a promising future
Roberts, the program coordinator, is excited about the year ahead, noting that they will be “doing more hands-on workshops and demonstrations and reaching out to more schools.” She said that every city in the county works with the program on food-waste reduction educational initiatives.
“There's really nothing else like this place in the area, and we're continuing to grow,” Barry added. “We have a great corps of volunteers from our Master Gardener Program and our Composting Education Program, and our Youth Development Program is also growing. Youth in an urban area who would never have had an opportunity to interact with and raise an animal have that opportunity here.”
Any member of the community can volunteer to support the Composting Education Program, from feeding the worms to shredding paper or turning compost piles. There are also opportunities for residents to drop off kitchen and yard waste throughout the year. Learn more at https://cesantaclara.ucanr.edu/Home_Composting_Education.
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