Authorities Ask for Help Battling Citrus Psyllid Infestation

The Asian Citrus Psyllid has yet to spread any potential tree-killing disease, but officials ask residents to monitor backyard citrus trees.

The Asian Citrus Psyllid pest has been raiding citrus trees in and around Orange County since the first infected tree was discovered March 30th in Hacienda Heights. The Psyllid, which is the size of a grain of rice, carries the Huanglongbing (HLB) disease, which is fatal to citrus trees and plants. 

"The pest has been found in San Clemente," said Mark Olson from the California Department of Food and Agriculture. "But the actual disease has not been detected yet."

Although HLB has no affect on humans or animals, the disease has wiped out more than one million trees in Florida since 2010 resulting in a  $3.63 billion loss for Florida citrus growers, said Olson.

"If you can contain the spread of the pest, you can contain the spread of the disease," he told city leaders at Tuesday's council meeting.

Yellow trap bags will be placed inside trees containing the Psyllid and careful environmental monitoring through samples of air, soil and leaf will be underway, said Olson. The agriculture department is aggressively tackling the potential problem by asking residents to monitor their own citrus plants, he said.

"This is really a war that's being fought in people's backyards," said Olson. "We're asking residents to check their citrus trees for this pest, look at new shoots and inspect monthly."

To report an infested tree or plant, please call the CDFA hotline: 1-800-491-1899. 

For more information about how to prevent the pest, visit californiacitrusthreat.org.

Read the full article at: https://patch.com/california/sanclemente/asian-citrus-psyllid-infests-local-citrus-trees