My star jasmine bush and several other bushes and trees were beautiful, green, and flowering. Over the past several weeks, the leaves have turned yellow with something that looks like mold, and they are falling off. Would you be able to tell me what the problem is and what pesticides you might recommend for controlling it? [Photo documentation was provided to the IPM Expert to assist with this question.]

Good news: this problem can be addressed without chemicals! The effects you’re seeing are consistent with sun and heat damage. Sun damage will almost always appear on the side of the plant facing the setting sun. Heat damage may appear all over the plant. Some spots could be the result of water droplets that are present on the plants when the sun hits them, causing circular burn patterns. The strategies below can help your plants get through the challenging summer heat while being aware of local watering restrictions:

1. Water plants at the drip line:
2. This is the spot on the ground that lines up with the furthest reaches of the branches. If plants are watered only at the base, thirsty feeder roots furthest from the plant base will not be getting the necessary water. This UC IPM reference photo shows where the drip line is for irrigation placement.
3. If you are using drip irrigation methods, place the emitters at the drip line, and space emitters about 12 inches apart.
4. Check irrigation timing:
   1. If you are using drip irrigation, it is recommended to run the system a few times a week for at least an hour, if not longer. Drip irrigation is a slow process and needs a long time to get the whole root zone wet.
   2. If you are using sprinklers, sometimes they only reach one side of a plant. Providing irrigation to both sides of the plant will ensure the whole root zone gets water.
5. Add mulch to your landscape:
   1. Adding mulch and/or wood chips to the ground will help keep plant roots cooler—and help the irrigated soil retain moisture. The recommended depth of mulch or wood chips is about 3 inches.

Here’s a link for additional information about irrigation and landscaping: http://ipm.ucanr.edu/PMG/menu.homegarden.html

We have a problem with rats. Our pest control provider placed two black boxes (bait stations) in our yard and gave us some rat traps. We have caught three rats, but now they just lick the peanut butter off the trap, and they don’t set the trap off.

Rats are known to get clever about traps, and they avoid them or just steal the bait. There is some proven advice that can help.

1. If possible, buy new rat snap traps from the hardware store. The trap does not need to have special features. We just want to use something that doesn’t smell like the ones they have been seeing.
2. Move the traps to a new place. Even moving them a foot away will help.
3. Switch to another bait from the peanut butter. Cat or dog food works really well.
4. The traps need to be baited with the new bait, but DO NOT set them. We need the rats to get used to the new traps and not suspect anything. After a few days, when you know they have been eating the bait, then you bait AND set the trap.
5. Another thing that works well is to set two traps right next to each other, both baited and set. The rat will try and jump over the first one it sees and jump right onto the one it didn’t

Here’s a link for an information sheet with good pointers: https://ourwaterourworld.org/rats-and-mice.

Our street has many rats, possibly due to unkempt fruit trees, compost piles, and untrimmed shrubs in the area. What can be done?

You are right to be concerned about these potential hiding places for rats, as well as the free food they are getting from fallen fruit. While you can try to make your home and yard as unwelcoming as possible to rats, that may not be enough to address the issue. If you need to resort to more control, we highly recommend traps over bait. Bait can easily be eaten by pets and other animals that we don’t mean to harm. Rats that have ingested bait can hide and die in a spot that is difficult to access, making for some unpleasant smells. Although dealing with traps can be more distasteful for us, they are ideal for a fast death and a body that can be removed before it becomes another nuisance.

For help choosing a trap and how best to use it, see this link: https://ourwaterourworld.org/rats-and-mice. There are many different trap options, including new Wi-Fi traps that alert you when one has worked.

Red Spider Mites have been a huge problem for my tomatoes for the last couple of years. The difficulty is there does not seem to be any kind of insect or organic spray that will touch them. I have used horticultural oils and garlic, and I’ve tried numerous other ideas, all to no avail.

Before we get into any insecticides, I’ll review some things that keep your tomatoes strong and less likely to get infested. As the mites like to overwinter near your tomatoes, be sure to rotate where you plant. For many reasons, it is critical to rotate tomatoes, and mites are one of those reasons.

Mites thrive in dry, dusty conditions. Use mulch, especially when the plants are tiny. When the plants are large, they shade the ground and keep dust to a minimum. We have been advised over the last several years to plant closer and closer together, but to beat out mites, the plants need a lot of air circulation. Tight clusters of tomato plants are breeding grounds for mites. Yep, we need air and to avoid dryness and dust. Not fair.

Continue using organic fertilizer. Synthetics push too much growth too fast, and mites LOVE tender, young growth. However, if you have done all these things and your plants are still being bullied, let’s talk pesticides. Neem oil, horticultural oil, or insecticidal soap should work, but mites breed every week. Therefore, you need to apply every week. These mites are obnoxiously small, and complete coverage is required, including undersides and nooks and crannies. Mites are excellent at hide and seek.

What are your recommendations on best practices to control pests, including lots of spiders?

There are two ways to answer this: one is for inside the home, and one is for outside. Let’s start with outside. Generally, there are spiders this time of year because there is so much for them to eat, as the insects are out in force. The number of insects will start to come down as the seasons change, and then the number of spiders will also go down. At that point,    sweep or hose away those old dusty webs, and things should look good again. Spiders inside the home are unpleasant. Below is a link explaining how best to exclude spiders from inside the home: http://ipm.ucanr.edu/QT/spiderscard.html.

What is the best product to kill ticks in the yard?

After a careful review of available literature, no pesticide is okay to spray on the whole yard without harm to you, pets, children, water, or beneficial insects. What can be done? Excluding ticks is the best answer.

In California, about half of the reported cases are contracted around the home in semi-rural environments. Clearing leaf litter or creating woodchip barriers between lawns and adjacent woodlands may prove useful in California’s semi-rural residential settings or in private or public gardens adjoining natural areas inhabited by wildlife. See this link for appropriate management practices: http://ipm.ucanr.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn7485.html

Ifyouchoosetofindapestcontroloperator,pleaseusethislinkfromtheCityofLincolnforguidance: https://lincolnstormwater.org/residents/gardening-pesticides

Please rank the different methods of controlling voles, with the least harmful numerically first and most harmful numerically last.

Voles are vegetarians and love to eat just about anything. Their shallow tunnels can ruin the look and health of lawns and gardens, leading to desperate plans for revenge. To control voles, there are several methods, but the best is the one that works without harming you, your pets or the local waterways. For each of the options, see this link for more detailed information on identification and effective control: https://ourwaterourworld.org/moles-voles-and-gophers

1. Exclusion is the absolute best Use barriers like hardware cloth in planter beds and in-ground wire baskets for new plants in the ground. These metal barriers last longer than other materials and are hard to chew through. Short barriers around tree trunks prevent chewing damage.
2. Habitat modification combined with exclusion is going to be your best Weeds, heavy leaf litter, and dense vegetative cover are protection for voles from predators. Mow and keep down these vole hiding spots.
3. Traps work, and they are non-toxic because no bait is However, more than one trap is required, so it can be costly, and they aren’t easy to place.
4. Gas bombs, fumigants and flooding tunnels with water don’t work on voles (gophers, moles, or ground squirrels). Their tunnel systems are extensive, and voles just move to another tunnel to ruin another
5. Baits are not a good Voles won’t eat them because the baits don’t look like their food. The poisons in baits are easily consumed by other animals we don’t mean to harm, like our pets.

White flies have invaded my vegetable garden. What products do you recommend to eliminate them?

White flies are common with warm weather, high moisture in the air, and lots of fresh new growth. Two strategies used together provide control without hurting your plants, beneficial insects, or the water supply, and they keep your veggies safe for you to eat. First is housekeeping and general care:

1. Pluck off the worst If the plant is seriously damaged, you might need to remove it.
2. Let the soil dry out an inch down below the top before you water White flies thrive on moisture.
3. Stick to organic The slower-release formula of organic fertilizers gives fabulous plants without excessive, over-the-top growth that encourages insects and disease.
4. Spray the plants off with a hose to remove the majority of the white

Second is pesticide: Choose horticultural oil, Neem oil, or insecticidal soap. These are effective on soft-bodied insects and act short-term, without a waiting period to eat your veggies. Here is a link for further information: http://ipm.ucanr.edu/QT/whitefliescard.html.