The medieval disease that wiped out 60% of Europe has made a recent comeback. From 2010 to 2015, more than 3,248 cases were reported worldwide, including 584 deaths. Rodents such as rats and squirrels are known to to carry it, making responsible pest management more important than ever. By Jessie Yeung Two people in China […]

Farms with just one or a handful of different crops encourage fewer species of pollinating and pest-controlling insects to linger, ultimately winnowing away crop yields, according to a new study. By Mongabay Up to half of the detrimental impacts of the “landscape simplification” that monocropping entails come as a result of a diminished mix of ecosystem […]

Alfalfa production in California could take a hit next year from the loss of an important pesticide. By Dan Wheat  Integrated pest management of alfalfa in California will be “profoundly” impacted by the loss of the pesticide chlorpyrifos next year, research scientists say. The California Environmental Protection Agency announced Oct. 8 that virtually all use […]

Thousands of magnolia trees in Long Beach are in danger because of beetles that have invaded the area. By Rachel Brown Walking or driving down Magnolia Avenue in Long Beach, you’re sure to notice that something is a little off. “Sometimes when you’re just walking, it kind of sticks to your shoe, and it’s really like […]

 Turlock lawmaker plans to bring a giant swamp rat to Congress to drum up support for eradicating the pest from California’s Central Valley. By Mike Moffitt Rep. Josh Harder, a rookie Democratic congressman, wants his colleagues to award $7 million to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife over five years to combat the spread of […]

A population boom for cockroaches is reaching its crest in California and, depending on the kind you’re seeing, there may not be too much you can do to get rid of them. By Eric Escalante “You go out [in] Downtown Sacramento or Downtown Davis… on a nice warm summer night, and they are everywhere. You don’t […]

According to some people living near a city lot in Sacramento, ‘The rats are so big that they actually attack people.’ The city of Sacramento has started exterminating more than 100 rats that have infested a vacant lot in Sacramento’s River District where the city plans to build a new fire station. Many homeless encampments […]

Pest infestations are extremely damaging to homeless populations. In Sacramento homeless people living in Capitol Park Hotel are being plagued by bed bugs and cockroaches. This situation is unacceptable and many residents are begging for their rooms to be sprayed. This demonstrates how important careful pesticide use is to defending the most vulnerable in society. […]

Margaret Sohn’s Normal Heights home has a lovely yard — “one of the reasons why I bought this house,” she said — but she hasn’t spent much time there this summer. By PETER ROWE SEP. 3, 2019  “It’s terrible,” Sohn said of the tiny mosquitoes infesting her property. “It’s just miserable.” For better or — ouch! […]

A Fresno man has died of West Nile virus, the second person killed in the state by the disease this year, officials say. By SOUMYA KARLAMANGLA West Nile virus, which is transmitted to humans through a mosquito bite, kills several Californians every year. Health officials announced the first victim of 2019 last month, a 74-year-old man in […]