Imported Fire Ant Could Take Enjoyment out of California Picnics

The great outdoors may become decidedly unpleasant if the recently discovered Imported Fire Ant is established in California. "People will not want to picnic," said James Brazzle, the Kern County UCCE entomology farm advisor. "These ants respond rapidly and aggressively. A single ant can sting repeatedly, causing raised, infected bumps." The Imported Fire Ant was first identified in a Kern County almond orchard last October. A mound has also been found in Fresno County. Scientists say they hitchhiked on beehives brought from Texas for almond pollination. The imported ant is a close cousin to an ant already found in the state, the Southern Fire Ant.

"You can tell them apart only under a microscope or by the design of their home," Brazzle said. He and other UC entomologists are working with the California Department of Food and Agriculture to ensure an effective, full-scale program is implemented immediately to eradicate Imported Fire Ants. For more information, contact James Brazzle at (805)868-6215, jrbrazzle@ucdavis.edu.

New Control Measures for Lygus Under Study

Lygus have long plagued San Joaquin Valley farmers, frustrating their efforts to reduce pesticide use. Few pests are so abundant, so content to feed on a variety of crops and so difficult to control. Facing another year of high lygus populations, all farmers can do now is spray, says UC agronomy farm advisor Shannon Mueller. But she is collaborating with USDA scientists to find alternatives for the future. This year Mueller is surveying Fresno County lygus populations for evidence of parasitism. "Lygus parasites have been identified in the Pacific Northwest in greater numbers than we expected," Mueller said. "If we can find a parasite in the Valley, commercially rear them and release them into fields, we'll have another tool in lygus control." Making the system work, Mueller said, would require cooperation among the growers of crops that lygus like to feed on, including cotton, alfalfa seed, dry beans and safflower. For more information, contact Mueller at (209) 456-7561, scmueller@ucdavis.edu.

Garlic's Hit with Double Whammy

A weather-related double whammy will have garlic lovers digging deeper into their pocketbooks this year. First producers saw their crop dwindle with the appearance of garlic rust, a disease that ravages the San Joaquin Valley garlic only in very wet years. "It's so rare here, farmers had problems dealing with it," said Don May, UC Cooperative Extension vegetable crops farm advisor in Fresno County. Then in late spring, farmers faced still more rain. "Typically, garlic growers stop irrigating at the end of May," May said. "Late rain caused many garlic bulbs to shatter in the field during harvest, rendering them unmarketable." Shatter results when wet springtime soil deteriorates garlic's delicate layered skin and allows the cloves to continue growing, further straining the skin. "With the diminished supply, fresh garlic will be very expensive this year," May said. While Gilroy is known for its Garlic Festival, Fresno County is the most concentrated garlic producing area in the world, with 26,000 acres planted to the crop. For more information, contact Don May at (209) 456-7285, cefresno@ucdavis.edu.

Jeannette Warnert
Public Information Representative
Ag and Natural Resources
UC Center
550 E. Shaw Avenue
Fresno, CA 93710