The California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA), working in cooperation with the Sacramento County agricultural commissioner, has placed Sacramento County under a plant pest quarantine for the Asian citrus psyllid (ACP) following the detection of one ACP in Sacramento’s Lemon Hill area.
The quarantine prohibits the movement of citrus and curry leaf tree nursery stock and 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. Residents with backyard citrus trees in Sacramento are asked not to transport or send citrus fruit or leaves, potted citrus trees, or curry leaves from the quarantine area.
ACP quarantines are in place in 28 California counties. Residents who think they may have seen ACP or symptoms of HLB on their trees are urged to call CDFA’s Pest Hotline at 1-800-491-1899 or the Sacramento County agricultural commissioner at 916-875-6603.
While ACP and other invasive species that threaten California’s crops and natural environment are sometimes detected in agricultural areas, the vast majority are found in urban and suburban communities. The most common pathway for these invasive species to enter the state is by “hitchhiking” in fruits and vegetables brought back illegally by travelers as they return from infested regions of the world. To help protect California’s agriculture and natural resources, CDFA urges travelers to follow the Don’t Pack a Pest program guidelines (www.dontpackapest.com).