After the discovery in September of an insect that can carry a disease fatal to citrus trees, the California Department of Food and Agriculture has placed trees in a 118-square-mile area near Lincoln under quarantine.
The quarantine zone is bordered on the north by Riosa Road; on the south by the Roseville city limit; on the west by Brewer Road; and on the east by Fowler Road.
The quarantine prohibits the movement of citrus and curry leaf tree nursery stock, including all plant parts except fruit, out of the quarantine area and requires that all citrus fruit be cleaned of leaves and stems prior to moving out of the quarantine area. An exception may be made for nursery stock and budwood grown in U.S. Department of Agriculture-approved structures, which are designed to keep the insects and other insects out. Residents with backyard citrus trees in the quarantine area may not transport or send citrus fruit or leaves, potted citrus trees or curry leaves from the quarantine area.
County-wide quarantines are also in place in Fresno, Imperial, Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego, Santa Barbara, Tulare and Ventura Counties, with portions of Alameda, Kern, Kings, Madera, Merced, Monterey, Placer, San Benito, San Francisco, San Joaquin, San Luis Obispo, San Mateo, Santa Clara and Stanislaus counties.
The Asian citrus psyllid is an invasive species of grave concern because it can carry the disease huanglongbing, also known as citrus greening, or HLB. All citrus and closely related species, such as curry leaf trees, are susceptible hosts for both the insect and disease. There is no cure for HLB and once a tree becomes infected, the diseased tree will decline in health and produce bitter, misshaped fruit until it dies. In California, HLB has only been detected on residential properties in Los Angeles County. This plant disease does not affect human health.
Residents in the area who think they may have seen psyllids or symptoms of HLB on their trees are urged to call the California Department of Food and Agriculture’s Pest Hotline at 1-800-491-1899 or the local Placer County Agricultural Commissioner’s office at 530-889-7372.
For more information on the psyllid and HLB, please visit: https://www.cdfa.ca.gov/citrus/
