Yolo County
Home Menu
Pest Management
Pest Management
The Pest Management program involves controlling and monitoring common pest populations of weeds, rodents and insects below economic threshold levels. This is accomplished through rodenticide manufacturing, weed and rodent control, pest identification and biological control.
The Department manufactures a variety of rodenticide baits for sale to agricultural operators and other county agriculture departments. As the bait is now Federally restricted, proper certification is required. Please see the above link "rodenticide baits for sale" for more information.
The registration of these materials requires continuous monitoring in order to keep them in compliance with Federal E.P.A. standards. Baits are manufactured under an agreement with the California Department of Food and Agriculture, which maintains the registrations.
Vegetation management involves noxious weed control on State highways, County roads and special district rights-of-way. The major weed pests under management are Johnsongrass, Yellow Star Thistle, Russian Thistle, Dodder and Puncturevine. These weed pests, when left uncontrolled, can damage the paved edge of roadways, obstruct motorists' visibility, create potential fire hazards, and cause serious economic effects on adjoining farmland.
In addition, the Department works with the California Department of Food and Agriculture to eradicate "A" rated pests (pests not known to occur in California or are of limited distribution, and have the potential to cause serious economic harm to agriculture). Yolo County has one site with Skeleton weed and one site with Iberian Star thistle, which are currently under eradication efforts.
Biological control involves monitoring sites where parasites have been released, surveying for new infestations of pests where biological-control predators may be introduced, and maintaining equipment necessary for the program. Bio-control programs currently are established for Puncturevine, Ash Whitefly and Yellow Star Thistle.
To get more information about the Pest Management program contact David Brown
Pest Management Links
UC Davis-Weed Research and Information
UC Davis-Invasive Weed Management
UC Davis-Yellow Starthistle Management
CDFA-Japanese dodder (Cuscuta japonica) in California
UC Davis-Pest Management Online
UC Davis-Ground Squirrel Best Management Practices
Internet Center for Wildlife Damage Management
Weed Free Forage Program
The purpose of the Certified Weed Free Forage program is for the certification of forage free from noxious weeds. Forage certified under these procedures will satisfy the requirements of The United States Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, The National Park Service and any other agency accepting these procedures, permitting only weed free forage on lands under their control. Included are the Guidelines for Certification of Weed Free Forage, Hay, Straw and Mulch, the Compliance Agreement, the Application for Crop Certification and a list of Yolo County's noxious weeds. The files are in PDF format and require the Acrobat Reader to view.
Guidelines for Certification of Weed Free Forage, Hay, Straw & Mulch
Application for Crop Certification
For more information on the Certified Weed Free Forage program contact Molly Mathews