Sweet alyssum is easy to grow, and gardeners love the mass of tiny, fragrant blossoms it produces, but the flower is also a botanical magnet for the Bagrada bug. This invasive stink bug is now established throughout Southern California, and if alyssum is growing in your yard, there is a good chance the bug has infested it.
The Bagrada bug, also called painted bug, is a small, colorful insect. The adult is black with orange and white markings on its shield-shaped body, which is about ¼-inch long and half as wide. The female Bagrada can lay up to 150 eggs in less than three weeks. They soon hatch into nymphs that have an orange-red body with a black head and legs. The nymphs may be confused with lady beetles but lack their shiny, hard wings.
There are multiple generations of Bagrada each year, and populations usually peak late in summer and fall. When the weather cools in winter, the bug may seek shelter in homes and become a nuisance. They also cause serious economic damage on some vegetables and flowers.
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Although Bagrada feeds on a wide range of weeds and cultivated plants, it prefers species in the mustard family. In addition to alyssum, other ornamental hosts include stock, candytuft, nasturtiums, rockcress and wallflower.
Vegetables severely damaged by Bagrada are cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, kale, turnips, mustard greens, radishes and arugula. If you plan to grow any of these cool-season plants this fall, see the UC pest note on Bagrada bug at
www.ipm.ucdavis.edu to view photos and learn how to manage the pest.
Bagrada feeds by inserting piercing mouth parts into plant tissues, which creates starburst-shaped lesions on leaves and stems. Continued feeding causes leaf scorch, stunting, blind terminals and forked or multiple heads on broccoli, cauliflower and cabbage.
Small plants are especially susceptible to damage, and seedlings may be killed.
Q: Can you recommend a lawn grass that does not require a lot of water and fertilizer? We have young children and a dog, so the grass should also be tough.
A: Providing a recreational play surface for children and pets is a good reason to have a lawn. Unfortunately, most home lawns only get used once a week when someone runs a mower across them.
Given your requirements, I suggest you consider a turf grass called Paspalum. It needs much less water than tall fescue, the most commonly planted turf grass, and it needs less nitrogen fertilizer than hybrid Bermuda grass, a popular warm-season turf grass. A lawn can be installed with sod or plugs during warm weather. Visit
www.amsod.com for information on ‘SeaDwarf’ Paspalum.
Paspalum is a warm-season, bright-green turf grass with fine texture. It spreads by runners, so it will fill in spots damaged by rough play. You should install a concrete mow strip to confine the grass in the desired area. Mow paspalum lawns with a reel mower. Scalping is more likely if you use a rotary mower.
