I'm gardening in an area of California called Marin County, which is north of the Golden Gate bridge and adjacent to the wine growing region of Napa and Sonoma Valley.

We have 2 huge infestation problems that effects our agricultural economics.
Because our 'infestation' problem(s) are affecting the economics of the region we have been assisted by the state legislators with funds for research, education and hopefully a control or remedy soon.

Sudden Oak Death syndrome - SOD - is killing off our majestic old oaks at an alarming rate and is is now found to be in our redwoods as well as all the host plants such as Rhodo's, madrones, ect.. The lumber industry has been very active in lobbying for help and the UC ag system has been working full time on trying to find a solution.

The wine industry is another extremely powerful lobby and they have done more than any other organized industry to get their message out about the Glassy Wing Sharp Shooter insect.
Now when I bring in an order of plants that originates from a county out of my region I must call the ag inspector several days before my plants arrive in order to set up an inspection date.
Once the plants are dropped off on the site they cannot be moved until they are inspected.
So making sure that you set up your appointment well in advance is required so that you don't hold up your crew waiting for an inspector to arrive before you can place or plant your plants.

We also have all the other transient insects, fungal diseases and soil born diseases to deal with.

At the moment I am going head to head with a boxwood blight that is killing off my potager hedge and have spider mites on my passifloras.

I think education is key when dealing with clients as well as keeping ourselves updated about IPM's and other organic measures one can take to combat infestations.
Hort Oil, Neem and BT is my friend.

I don't and won't use any toxic chemicals .
I used to be a chemical queen in my early 20's and all thru hort school, but after a series of health scares I won't touch them anymore.

If a client want to go into chemical warfare, then they can drop the bomb, but most here in my 'hood are pretty health conscience and fortunately prefer to use organic measures.

When I was in college studying horticulture and natural resources, Hawaii was the "textbook case" for discussion of environmental havoc wreaked by introduced species. It sounds like the list has grown since my youth.

Were the deer imported as "cut l'il Bambi" to grace the lawns of estates?

We have our share of pest in the desert as well ..

The Afracanized bees or "Killer" Bees if they are chasing you ... openning valve boxes is a lot more excitement these days then it used to be but the pest control chap gets a $150. a valve box so it can't be a total loss for the economy.

The Fire Ants are here .. our parks get sampled each year so far so good ... nurserys seem to be the hot spot.

The beginnings of Earthly monoculture ???

I agree with Mitch ..there seems to be a relationship between the likely hood of reaching and enjoying retirement and the use of chemicals.

Good Day ...

The wooly adelgid has been the scourge here in the Appalachian chain, devastating both the Carolina and the Canadian Hemlock. Much has been done with breeding programs for preditor beetles to help control the insect (Clemson UNC UV UT others). Hopefully three to five years it will be used as the primary control.
North Carolina had a recent scare when they thought that SOD had been imported into the state via a nursery shipment from a California wholesale nursery to its sister nursery here in the Carolinas. Many an education seminar was offered and attended to help alert the industry on the eastcoast about this disease.
We will never beat the bugs but if we all stay on top of it ( read education) and keep the public informed ( read education ) and try to use SANE controls ( read "Silent Spring "' by Rachel Carson..... hee hee ) maybe these critters (and us) won't get to out of hand.

I don't like to think about my health/old age and pesticides too much cause when I do I imagine all the chemicals I have inhaled and absorbed through my skin over the years and not from my use of them but from diving in head first into landscapes where regular pest control services do their thing. I heard or read once that West Palm Beach, Florida had the highest per-capita use of pesticides in the nation and my first thought was did they compare it to Wailea, Maui?

I definately go the IPM route with cultural practices for plant health first followed by a large tolerance for insect activity. My first suggestion after that is give the plant a bath a few times with the hose, then minimum spot spraying starting with hort oil and neem if needed. In these new insect plagues sometimes the best thing is to cut the plant back to the nub, haul the rubbish to the dump and grow it back out. That is what I did with my own orange tree to get it through the Citrus Black Fly onslaught until a predator was released to control it. Today I have a healthy producing tree. A lot of other citrus died around the island.

The state is beginning to grasp the problem and put funds out for it but in the absence of a major university system that goes with a large population the scientific human resources are minimal and stretched beyond capacity.

The deer were released on Maui in like 1968 or 69 from one of the other islands where they had already been introduced and that was at the end of an old way of thinking. It has taken 35 years but in the absence of any pedators guess what happens. The adults do hold their spots into maturity so they are quite Bambi like, all 200 to 400lbs of them.

ilima