UC Master Gardeners of San Joaquin County

 "From the first minute I joined her lab, I noticed how she always provides a healthy environment to foster the discussion of scientific ideas, respecting and valuing everyone’s point of view. I was amazed to see that this does not stop with her lab, but it extends far beyond. Joanna has devoted her…

Come hear the latest biology and control of Citrus Mealy Bug at the Association of Applied IPM Ecologists Meeting August 18, Santa PaulaAAIE's Ventura Avocado and Coastal Citrus Round Table Meeting. 3.0 DPR CEU's Approved  4.0 CCA CEU's Approved Date: Aug 18th, 2025Time: 8:30 AM - 1…

 What a tiny moth!Jeff Smith, volunteer curator of the Lepidoptera collection at the Bohart Museum of Entomology at the University of California, Davis, for three decades, has just spread the wings of a micro-moth with a wingspan (both wings open) measured at about 1 centimeter.And it is not only tiny,…

August 21 (9 AM - 11 AM)Avocado Growing Resilience
Fire Recovery, RCD Support & Water Security SolutionsIn-Field at Greenwood Daylily GardensTopics and SpeakersUnderstanding Fire Damage Recovery in the Avocado OrchardPresented by John Schoustra (Owner) and Ben Faber (UC Cooperative…

Sharing a link to an article posted by the UC Davis Department of Plant Sciences recapping the 28 year career of Cooperative Extension Weed Scientist Dr. Steve Fennimore.Here's a directly link to that article: https://www.plantsciences.ucdavis.edu/news/fennimore-retirement  As a colleague of Steve…

Registration Now Open For 2025 Post-Harvest ConferenceThe Citrus Research Board (CRB) is excited to announce the return of the Post-Harvest Conference on September 4, 2025, in Visalia, California, at the Visalia Convention Center. Sponsored by the CRB and organized in partnership…

While they may look cute, no one really wants a mouse around the house. House mice eat up to 20% of their body weight daily, eating whatever food is available. They can contaminate our food and their gnawing can damage buildings, wiring, insulation, food packages, and more. Many fires of unknown origin are…

 How can you capture a close-up image of a male longhorned bee, such as Melissodes agilis or Svastra  obliqua expurgata?Before the sun rises, slip out into the patch of flowers where you've seen them before. They will be sleeping or slighty stirring. (The females return to their nests at night,…

 Several years ago, a friend gifted us with some garden art, an owl. Its head does not rotate. Its wings do not move.  It does not scare away birds or squirrels. It does not scare away butterflies, either.Last week a monarch fluttered in our pollinator garden and quickly spotted a milkweed…

   UC Davis alumnus and "entomology ambassaor"Jakob Lopez, who receivewd his bachelor's degree in animal biology in June, drew the rapt attention of fairgoers at the California State Fair's Insect Pavilion, sponsored by the State Fair, California Department of Agriculture, and the Bohart…

Or rather Verticillium Collapse or Wilt.  An avocado that goes down fast.It's that time of year to see some drama in avocado orchards. Once healthy-looking trees can suddenly turn brown in a weekend and all the surrounding trees still look fine. And it can be quite common in some years along the coast…

 Hold that tiger!When a Western tiger swallowtail, Papilio rutulus, glides into your yard, it's the next best thing to a monarch. This one took a liking to the Mexican sunflower, Tithonia rotundifola, guareded by male long-horned bees. Very territorial.UC Davis Distinguished Professor Emeritus Art…

 Strike up the band!We greeted the first monarch of the year in our Vacaville pollinator garden today. The female arrived at 12: 45 p. m. and laid eggs on five milkweed plants. She sipped a little nectar. A male Gulf Fritillary chased her, a spider eyed her, lady beetles ignored her, and the cat that…

Citrus InformationDr. Robert McNeil, emeritus professor of the Fruit Science Department at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, taught citriculture and avoculture there for many years.  He has made his citrus notes available on our website - https://ucanr.edu/sites/default/files/2025-07/mc%20neil%20citrus%20guide…

Federal and state agriculture officials recently expanded the areas quarantined for citrus greening disease in California. They expanded the quarantined area in the Coto de Caza area of Orange County by 11 square miles, the Rancho Santa Margarita area of Orange County by 93 square miles, the Perris area of…

 Joi McNeil's newly created large-scale mural in historic downtown Vacaville is drawing widespread raves--and deservedly so!It not only celebrates the Pony Express Days of 1860-61 and the region's historically renowned fruit orchards, but it showcases the state flower, the California golden poppy; the…

 "Special treats" involving honey bees await those attending the Vacaville Museum Guild's annual Children's Party, set for 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in the Museum courtyard, 213 Buck Ave., Vacaville.The event, for Vacaville children ages 3 to 9, offers a wide variety of activities, including games, arts and…