Cultivating Solutions Through Cooperation

Meet the staff

James A. Bethke is the County Director and Floriculture and Nursery Farm Advisor. He received his Master of Science degree in Entomology from UC Riverside in 1985. Currently he is working on several research projects to address the serious impacts on the ornamental industry due to a series of invasive pests.

James A Bethke

Contact our Office

One of the least-known treasure troves of information in San Diego County is that over two hundred Master Gardeners provide home gardening and pest control information throughout the county, FREE to the public. Master Gardeners are volunteers trained and supervised by the University of California Cooperative Extension (UCCE).

Continue to Master Gardener Website

For staff directory or office address or phone number please use this link: Office Directory

You See CE: UCCE San Diego's Blog

Save San Diego County Citrus

Added September 7, 2017
Off to a Good Start

Added September 6, 2017

Social Emotional Preparation of Young Children Social skill development is critical for school success. Many kindergarten teachers even rate the need for social skills such as the ability to follow...
Newest Detection of Citrus Greening (HLB) is in Riverside

Added July 28, 2017

NEW FIND A residential grapefruit tree in the city of Riverside has tested positive for the incurable citrus disease Huanglongbing, or HLB, which causes the citrus...
Italian White Snail on the Move in San Diego County

Added July 23, 2017

HIGH ALERT The Italian white snail aka white garden snail (WGS)(Theba pisana) has been in San Diego County for about 100 years. However, it has rarely caused significant...
Looking to hire a maintenance gardener? Make sure they are DPR certified

Added June 13, 2017

Looking to hire a maintenance gardener? Make sure they are DPR certified —Cheryl Reynolds, UC Statewide IPM Program Summer is right around the corner. The mild weather we've recently...