Best Plants, Best Practices Insects

Note: As of March 1 2019, this application is no longer supported. Please use the Calflora Planting Guide instead -- it has the latest and best information.

Pest Predators and Pest Parasites

Excellent information on pest predators and parasites is available on the UC Integrated Pest Management website. Pest predators are apparently attracted to the presence of pest insects rather than to specific plants. Some, such as Syrphid (hover) flies, feed on pollen as adults (and thereby act as general pollinators), but feed on soft bodied insects (aphids) in the larval stage.

Planting for Pollinators and Beneficial Insects

A strategy for attracting pollinators and other beneficial insects involves planting so as to provide sources of pollen year round. On the Plants for Projects page, plants are displayed with their bloom periods. This should make it possible to choose plants to cover the whole year. For instance:

Amorpha fruticosa western false indigo		Feb - Apr
Ceanothus thyrsiflorus blueblossom		Mar - May
Eriodictyon californicum Yerba santa		May - Jun
Eriogonum fasciculatum California buckwheat		Jun - Aug
Grindelia camporum gumweed		Aug - Oct
Baccharis pilularis coyotebush		Oct - Jan

Pests

Among the worst pests facing grape growers is the glassy-winged sharpshooter, because it can spread Pierce's disease (see this note from the CA Department of Food and Agriculture). The causal bacterium, Xylella fastidiosa, lives in other plants (including many native plants), and sharpshooters can spread the bacterium from those plants to grapevines, or from one grapevine to another. From this point of view, care must be taken to ensure that both plants which host the baterium and plants which host the sharpshooter are not growing too close to a vineyard.

Grape whitefly is another vineyard pest which is hosted by coffeeberry, hawthorn, and wild native grapes.

European grapevine moth is another vineyard pest recently arrived in Calfornia, known to be hosted by several Prunus species and olive trees.

References


butterflies
	Art Shapiro's Butterfly Site (ASB) Butterflies and Moths of North America (BMNA)
native bees
	The Xerces Society (XERCES) Las Piltas Native Plant Nursery / Bees
hummingbirds
	Las Piltas Native Plant Nursery / Hummingbirds Hummingbirds.net / California
pollinators in general
	Pollinator Biology and Habitat in California NRCS Biology Technical Note, 2009 Pollinator Partnership UC Cooperative Extension Pollinator Information The Xerces Society (XERCES): Pollinator Conservation
other beneficial insects (pest predators and parasites)
	UC Integrated Pest Management (UC-IPM) Natural Enemies Gallery Hedgerows enhance beneficial insects on farms in CA's Central Valley Morandin, Long, Pease, and Kremen, 2011 The Xerces Society (XERCES): Conservation Biocontrol Plants that Attract Beneficial Insects Fred Hoffman Organic Insect Control with Beneficial Insects... Wayne Green
insects in general
	Learning about Insection on the Playground (Playground Equipment.) Excellent introduction to common insects.
pests
	Grape Pest Management Guidelines including Insects and Mites UC Integrated Pest Management Insects and Mites UC Integrated Viticulture The Glassy-winged Sharpshooter as a threat to vineyards Napa County Agricultural Commissioner Riparian Plants and Pierce's Disease College of Natural Resources, UC Berkeley Creating Green Sharpshooter Barriers to Stop the Spread of Pierce's Disease California Department of Food and Agriculture European Grapevine Moth UC Integrated Pest Management California Oak Mortality Task Force (OMTF) (Sudden Oak Death)