I am not an entomologist - I always make that clear because a lot of people have that expectation when they find out I work in IPM. Granted, I did take a considerable number of entomology classes and I have put in long hours in field work so it's not like I am completely oblivious.  But I digress.  

While I would rather be showing you is  a cool new tool to control weeds, I recently received an email from a person in San Clemente who said there were thousands of red and black insects on twigs and the sidewalk near her home.  She sent me a photo and I knew exactly what she had:Lodosiana (=Scantius) aegyptius
This insect is a new one only recently found in North America and by luck I had seen an article about it in the Orange County Register
http://greenoc.freedomblogging.com/2009/08/03/red-bug-makes-first-american-appearance-in-oc/11179/
So far there are no reports of widespread damage due to feeding on plants. They do not hurt humans.
Note the 2 black dots on either side of the body.

Then I happened to read about another similar looking insect recently found called the bagrada bug.  See http://www.cdfa.ca.gov/phpps/PPD/PDF/Bagrada_hilaris.pdf or http://cisr.ucr.edu/bagrada_bug.html for details.  This one has been reported to cause plant damage.  
Photo by Gevork Arakelian, Senior Biologist, Los Angeles County Agricultural Commissioner/Weights & Measures Department.

The adults don't look too similar but the nymphs could be confusing.  

If you see the spotted one, let pjbryant@uci.edu know. He is looking at the genetics of the insect.  If you see the Bagrada bug in counties other than LA, Orange, Imperial, or San Diego, let your local Agricultural Commissioner know.

This summer I have been watching the green fruit beetles dive bomb my own garden.  Last month I found one in the soil with just its head in the soil and its rear end sticking up. I knew it was going to (or  had) laid some eggs so I dug around and was amazed to find hundreds of grubs of various sizes already developing. This is about 1 square foot.


See http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/GARDEN/FRUIT/PESTS/grfruitbeetle.htmlfor more information about the green fruit beetle.

I collected a bunch and put them in a tray with some soil. Watch what happens when I shake the tray and about 7 seconds later.

Runoff may carry pesticides and other toxics from around homes into waterways. Harvesting rainwater from the roof will help reduce the amount of water reaching the ground and you can use this water for your garden whenever you want (not just Tuesdays and Thursdays). While it may not be on your mind right now, we do get a few bigs rains each year. This is free installation and materials. If I lived in LA County, I would sure take advantage of it!

If you are a landscaper or gardener and have a customer that could benefit from this, you should encourage them to do so.

Orange County Register 8/28/09

State declares insect quarantine for all of O.C.

August 28th, 2009, 12:49 pm · Post a Comment · posted by Pat Brennan, green living, environment editor

All of Orange County is now officially under quarantine for the Asian citrus psyllid, state agricultural officials said Friday, with the insect prompting worry because it carries a disease that kills citrus trees.

The quarantine means residents and business owners should not move any citrus plants, cuttings, fruits or leaves either within the county or outside it.

“There’s no problem consuming fruit from homegrown trees, as long as it’s done on site,” state agricultural spokesman Jay Van Rein said. “The risk is, if the fruit or the plants themselves are moved, the insects are so small and hard to detect with the naked eye, they’re very easily moved.”

Nursery owners must ensure their plants are free of the pest.

The California Department of Food and Agriculture signaled earlier in the week that Orange County would be placed under quarantine, and asked residents to act as if the quarantine was already in place.

Samples are still being gathered where five of the insects were found, on a block near Edinger Avenue and south Main Street in Santa Ana (see map of affected area).

The five insects did not test positive for the disease that kills citrus trees, known as huanglongbing or citrus greening disease; more batches of insects are being collected from traps in the area.

Van Rein said state officials worked with the U.S. Department of Agriculture to set the quarantine at Orange County’s boundaries. Normally the quarantines extend 20 miles out from such a find, he said; the county’s boundary seemed a convenient marker for this quarantine.

Other, similar quarantines have been imposed in San Diego, Imperial and Riverside counties.

The insect can carry a type of bacteria that it delivers  into citrus leaves through its mouth parts. And the disease caused by the bacteria is incurable. Once citrus plants acquire it, they will waste away and die.

Brazil and Florida have been hard hit by the pest. It has also been found in several other southeastern U.S. states, some finding only the insect and some finding both the insect and the disease.

(Photo of psyllid courtesy CDFA; photo of psyllid’s effects on mandarin oranges and on leaves courtesy USDA.)