Effective June 17, 2014, the Department is expanding the current quarantine boundary for Fresno, Tulare and Kern counties.
An additional portion of Tulare County has been placed under quarantine for the Asian citrus psyllid (ACP) following the detection of one psyllid west of Exeter near the community of Farmersville in Tulare County. This brings the total quarantine area in Tulare County to 870 square miles. Thus, the total quarantine area will increase to 46,544 square miles.
The new quarantine zone measure 14 square miles in Tulare County, bordered on the north by W. Main Street; on the east by Road 132; on the south by Avenue 224; and on the west by Road 124. This area is in addition to the previously announced quarantine areas in Tulare County.
In addition to quarantines in portions of Tulare, Fresno, Kern, and San Luis Obispo counties, ACP entire- county quarantines remain in place in Imperial, Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego, Santa Barbara, and Ventura counties.
The ACP is an invasive species of grave concern because it can carry the disease huanglongbing (HLB), also known as citrus greening. All citrus and closely related species are susceptible hosts for both the insect and the disease. There is no cure once a tree becomes infected. The diseased tree will decline in health until it dies. HLB has been detected just once in California – in 2012 on a single residential property in Hacienda Heights, Los Angeles County. HLB is known to be present in Mexico and in parts of the southern U.S. Florida first detected the pest in 1998 and the disease in 2005, and the two have been detected in all 30 citrus-producing counties in that state. The University of Florida estimates the disease has tallied more than 6,600 lost jobs, $1.3 billion in lost revenue to growers and $3.6 billion in lost economic activity. The disease is present in Georgia, Louisiana, South Carolina, and Texas. The states of Alabama, Arizona, Hawaii, and Mississippi have detected the pest but not the disease.
Maps of the proposed boundary can be found at: www.cdfa.ca.gov/plant/go/acp-quarantine#maps
Residents in the area who think they may have seen the Asian citrus psyllid are urged to call CDFA’s Pest Hotline at 1-800-491-1899. For more information on the Asian citrus psyllid and huanglongbing disease, please visit: www.cdfa.ca.gov/go/acp.
Regulated articles and conditions for intrastate movement under the quarantine can be found at Title 3 California Code of Regulations (CCR) section 3435(c) & (d).
For questions regarding the regulations or map, please email Dayna Napolillo (dayna.napolillo@cdfa.ca.gov) or Keith Okasaki (keith.okasaki@cdfa.ca.gov), or call (916)654-0312.