What Devastating Pest Issue is Making its way to California and Ventura County?

John Krist, from the Ventura County Farm Bureau, is interviewed by “Our Ventura” host, Camille Harris.

The Farm Bureau is an advocate for the agricultural community, and has been around since 1914.

John speaks about an important threat to citrus production called the Asian citrus psyllid bug, which transmits the Huanglongbing (HLB) disease and is 100% fatal to citrus plants.

There is no cure or treatment for the disease, so it’s important to prevent the bug from getting established in new areas.

The ACP bug arrived in Southern California in 2008 and has been found in San Diego, Imperial, Orange and Los Angeles counties. It has been as close as Van Nuys since early in 2010. In late December 2010, the California Department of Food and Agriculture announced that two ACP specimens had been found in traps in commercial citrus orchards near La Conchita and Santa Paula. (However, so far the disease has not been documented in California, but it is making its way north through Mexico towards California).

Effective Dec. 30, 2010, the state of California declared a quarantine zone encompassing all of Ventura County and most of southern Santa Barbara County. What that means is that all harvested citrus must be cleaned, and any stems and leaves removed, before it can be moved from the quarantine zone. Nursery host plants may not be moved out of the quarantine area, and the movement of cut greens and green waste will be regulated by federal, state and county officials.

To help keep the bugs under control, do not move citrus plants around California and don’t even move backyard fruit around the state.