The Situation: The Argentine ant is native to Northern Argentina and it is a globally distributed invasive pest in urban, natural, and agricultural habitats. Due to unusually low levels of intraspecific aggression the Argentine ant can establish extremely large colonies. This contributes to its status as a nuisance pest in homes and its ability to...
The Situation: Vine mealybug was first found in California in the mid-1990s. Since then it has spread throughout the state, becoming among the most significant vineyard pests. Vine mealybug has a wide host range, feeding on several agricultural and weedy plant species. However, grapevines are a preferred host, and are the most adversely affected by...
The Situation: The brown widow spider, Latrodectus geometricus, became established in Southern California in early 2000 and has become well entrenched as part of the local spider fauna in urban Los Angeles and San Diego. The brown widow spider is continuing its expansion in Southern California and could possibly move northward into Central California. The...
