Termite Inspection Orange County Termite Terry Pest Control

Costa Mesa, Newport Beach, Huntington Beach, South Orange County, Long Beach Area

State Invests $3.75 Million To Fund Pest Management Research

The California Department of Pesticide Regulation (DPR) awarded $3.75 million to fund 10 research projects that will explore Integrated Pest Management (IPM) tools for urban, non-agricultural and agricultural pest management.

The DPR’s Research Grants Program funds projects that advance IPM, an approach that uses the least-toxic, effective methods to solve pest problems.

On the agricultural side, research will look for ways to control the spotted lantern fly, which are a risk to grapes, hops, apples, and stone fruit.

They will be evaluating an IPM approach to controlling the diamondback moth and western flower thrips, which will impact crops such as lettuce.

Tadpole shrimp are causing damage to rice crops, so they will be assessing a biocontrol system for management of these pests.

They want to develop an IPM software that will help pistachio growers reduce pesticide use.

They will also be testing two emerging IPM technologies for agricultural use: the automatic release of biocontrol organisms using flying drones, and precision spray application technology.

On the urban and agricultural pest management side, they are looking for ways to manage South American palm weevils, a pest that damages date palms. This research will be led by Dr. Mark Hoddle at UC Riverside.

A study we are excited about is one where they will be studying the use of insect growth regulators (IGRs) that target Argentine ants. IGRs are a new and safer pest management tool than traditional insecticides. This research will be led by Dr. Dong-Hwan Choe at UC Riverside.

On the urban and nonagricultural side, they will be testing non-chemical entrapment methods for trapping, monitoring and eliminating bedbugs. This research will be led by Dr. Catherine Loudon at UC Irvine.

They will be looking to create a new set of guidelines for effectively identifying and managing biting mites. This is what we have needed for years!

Another exciting study will be one where they are assessing a baiting system for detecting western drywood termites. This can be a big game changer for all of us who have drywood termites damaging our homes in southern California. This research will also be led by Dr. Dong-Hwan Choe at UC Riverside.

All of these are very important research projects, and we are looking forward to seeing what develops.