Some Common Concerns in Southern California
(I didn't have to look far for these troublemakers--they were all in my backyard!)

	Problem	Solution
	Compost GrubsThe largest and most disgusting larva you're likely to come across, and you'll find them in the compost pile. They later turn into big iridescent green fruit beetles that may nibble ripe fruit. The beetles, relatives of the Egyptian scrab, are pretty enough to be jewelry. Came from Arizonia in the 1970's.	There is no way to get rid of them, so learn to love these larva for their contribution to the composting process! They only eat decaying vegetation.
	Keelbacked TreehopperThe green adults have two sharp spines on either side of their "keels," while the youngsters are covered with black spines, and are usually in clusters with several adults present. Found on tomatoes, peppers, potato vines, cestrum and other Solanaceae family members.	While "hand picking" may be an acceptable means of control for many garden pests, it is not recommended for these spiney guys. My wife, who loves peppers, can't stand these pests and keeps a laundry spray bottle loaded with an organic pyrethrum mixture so when groups are spotted, she can blast them off with a quick, toxic spritz. Make sure you use a pyrethrum labeled for use on vegetables and try not to hit the fruit. It dosn't take much.
	Rose SlugsThough vaguely sluglike in appearance (they have legs, slugs don't), these are the larva of an insect called a sawfly. There are several kinds, including one that skeletonizes leaves and those that nibble lots of tiny holes. The example shows both kinds of damage. All spend winter in the ground, lay eggs on edges of leaves.	Safe, year-round, horticultural oil sprays (such as Sunspray) work if you spray once a week, but many serious rose growers say carbaryl (Sevin) works better. Bayer's new "Rose & Flower Insect Killer" with its 30-day systemic action seems to work best of all. It's active ingredient is Imidacloprid, which has a low toxicity to animals, but is highly toxic to fish, so keep it away from ponds. You might look it up on the web to see it's pros and cons as a poison, but it only rates a "Caution" from the EPA.
	Powdery MildewAlthough this powdery-looking fungus disease seems to flourish during humid weather, it actually needs a dry surface to grow upon.	Lots of controls: Wetting plants each morning sometimes does the trick, as do sulfer sprays, neem oil and homemade baking soda conconctions. Baking Soda Recipe
	Giant WhiteflyWhat a mess these newcomers from Mexico make on subtropicals like hibiscus, giant bird of paradise, or even Japanese anemones (pictured). Circular rings of eggs turn into beard-like growths that shelter flatish larva and winged adults. Worst at end of summer and early fall.	The only recommended control is to blast colonies from leaves with a strong spray of water, weekly if necessary. Some get temporarily control spraying every week, for three weeks, with horticultural oil and insecticidal soap. This may harm natural predators such as the tiny harmless wasps from Mexico being released around the Southland, though results so far are not spectacular.
	Leafcutter Bee You will probably never see the small ¼ to ½-inch bees, but their handiwork can't be missed. The female leaflcutter bee takes neat semicircular slices from rose leaves to line her burrow. They're solitary bees and do not live in hives. If you do spot one, they're colored black and are covered with short hairs.	There are no effective controls for this little bee, so just admire their precision slices and see if you can actually catch one at work someday--a fascinating sight.
	Hover FliesSometimes called flower flies, Syrphid flies imitate stinging insects--like bees and wasps--for protection from predators. They often hover in front of flowers for what seems like hours, looking more like bees than flies. Being true flies they can not sting. Not to be confused with "little house flies," related to commom house flies, which circle aimlessly in shady spots, never seeming to land. These breed in rotting organic matter, favoring manure, and are little help to a gardener.	Do nothing because despite their looks and actions, hover flies are good guys, pollinating flowers as adults, and as larva munching down on more aphids (and others garden pests) than ladybugs. To make sure it is a hover fly, count the wings if you can wait for one to land--there will only be two, not four as on a bee.
	Sooty Mold Commonly seen on citrus, this is a black fungus that grows on the sugary excrement of sucking insects. It can be found anywhere on the upper surface of the leaf but the problem is somewhere up above. Look on the leaves above it and you will find some kind of insect, like aphids or scale, that are dropping honey-like secretions. The black soot is a secondary problem?control the insects above and it will go away.	The best way to control the pests is with an horticultural oil such as Saf-T-Side or Sunspray, which will smother the offenders and make the citrus leaves glossy in the process. It will also wash away some of the sooty mold. Add a little insecticidal soap if you want and maybe a surfactant, which will make the spray stick better to the leaves.
	Fuchsia mitesInvisible (well, almost) mites that cause new growth to be twisted and distorted. Plants looks awful.	Sherman Gardens botanical garden in Corona Del Mar has good luck with the Fuchsia Society recommendations: Cut off twisted, affected growth and send to dump, cleaning tools and hands thoroughly between plants so the pest is not spread. Spray 3 times with Sevin, spacing sprays 5 days apart. Sevin is extremely toxic to bees so spays early before they are active.