My crew and I have joined the Citrus Research Board in an outdoor area (L36) at the World Ag Expo this year.  We have the mobile lab set up to display California red scale, earwigs, Asian citrus psyllid, diaprepes root weevil, citrus leafminer, soft scales, and scarring damage.  Please join us to chat about citrus pests on Thursday. 

Sadly, huanglongbing (HLB or citrus greening) was discovered in a tree in a commercial orange grove south of San Juan, in the Rio Grande valley of Texas just a few short miles from the Mexico border.  Quarantines have been set up and treatments for psyllids are underway. For the news report see: http://www.physorg.com/news/2012-01-texas-experts-citrus-greening-disease.html.  This is a reminder to be on the alert for leaf symptoms in California.

The Los Angeles urban infestation of Asian citrus psyllid has reached such a large size that it is no longer being treated with insecticides by the California Department of Food and Agriculture.  The psyllid has spread eastward into Riverside and San Bernadino counties and is affecting some commercial citrus there.  It is likely to spread westward into commercial citrus in Ventura and northward into the San Joaquin Valley this year.

I have added a page to my web site http://ucanr.org/sites/KACCitrusEntomology/Home/Asian_Citrus_Psyllid/Management_420/ACP_Effective_Insecticides/ under the Asian citrus psyllid management tab that discusses some basic principles on how to choose the most effective insecticides for psyllid control.  It also lists the mode of action of each insecticide so that you can think in terms of rotating insecticides and avoiding resistance.   

The cold weather in combination with citrus leafminer damage is causing new flush to turn brown.  This mandarin block at LREC has been flushing continously and has been attacked by citrus leafminers for many months. The leafminers will now stop growing and hunker down till winter is over (finally!).  We are happy to see that population finally declining.