Plant Pest Diagnostics Laboratory

NEW! Lab Newsletter - 2021 FALL

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Regulatory Programs

The San Diego County Plant Pest Diagnostics Laboratory is an integral part of regulatory activities that protect local agriculture. The lab works directly with the California Department of Food and Agriculture, and County Apiary, Integrated Pest Management, Nursery Inspection, Pest Detection, Pierces Disease Control, Pest Exclusion and Quarantine programs, to rapidly detect, identify and respond to invasive pests.

Tour the Lab

Commercial Agricultural Operations

Entomology

The lab offers limited, no-cost insect identification services to commercial agricultural operations, pest control advisors, landscape maintenance, arborists and municipalities for specimens collected in locations such as orchards, field crops, nurseries, parks, and golf courses. Samples can be submitted as physical specimens to our drop box or front desk locations:

Agriculture, Weights & Measures North County Office, 151 E. Carmel Street, San Marcos, CA 92078

Agriculture, Weights & Measures County Operations Center, 9325 Hazard Way, Suite 100, San Diego, CA 92123

or virtually as photographs to our email (Labs.AWM@sdcounty.ca.gov). Please send only one photograph per email due to file size limits. Include a completed Specimen for Determination form with all sample submissions.

Plant Pathology, Botany, Seed, Nematology

Plant disease diagnostics are now offered directly through the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) Plant Pest Diagnostics Center.

PDR form

Sample Preparation and Submission

Plant Pathology Service Fee Schedule

The University of California Cooperative Extension office may be able to connect you to a university lab and/or an advisor for assistance with pest management (858-822-7711; cesandiego@ucanr.edu)

Commercial nursery or greenhouse growers can now submit ornamental plant pathology samples at no cost to Greenhouse and Nursery Pathology UC Davis. 

Residential Samples

The AWM Lab typically does not handle residential garden samples; these samples are referred to the University of California Cooperative Extension (UCCE) Master Gardeners Program (858) 822-6910. Residents are encouraged to submit unfamiliar insects to iNaturalist for identification.

Biting, stinging, and indoor pests are referred to the county Vector Control Program.