University of California
The California Backyard Orchard
What is happening with Asian citrus psyllid?
Recently single adult psyllids were found on two traps about 1 mile apart from each other in Upland California (San Bernadino County). The host plants in and around these traps are being treated and these finds will expand the quarantine zone (20 miles around a psyllid find). The populations in Imperial, San Diego, and Los Angeles counties countinue to have the occasional new psyllid finds, but the area that is being treated has not expanded very much. This is evidence that the insecticide treatments are very effective - if we can find this tiny insect! We continue to get the good news that no huanglongbing disease has been found in California.
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Good questions. The area of infestation in Los Angeles is huge and has probably been there a while. The San Diego and Imperial infestations seem to be somewhat contained and are either being reinfested from Mexico or from within their own counties. The Ventura finds are only in commercial citrus and that is a bit confusing. Those have been surveyed and nothing was found in the foliage. They have been treated and it remains to be seen if they are the center or edge of a bigger infestation or single finds. The psyllid may be falling off of trucks, or flying great distances, or leapfrogging along citrus in backyards and it is at such low densities we don't pick it up easily. We still don't have answers to these questions.
Posted by Robert Walther on January 10, 2011 at 11:20 AM