Excessive summer irrigation of oak and madrone trees may promote fungal diseases such as the oak root fungus (aka armillaria root disease) and crown rot.
Mechanical and physical controls are among the most fascinating components of an integrated pest management program. This arsenal involves numerous physical barriers, traps, nets and other mechanical devices.
In integrated pest management, biological controls might include predatory or parasitic insects, bacteria or fungi, and biopesticides. More and more biocontrol methods are becoming available to the home gardener.