It’s the largest find yet of Asian citrus psyllids in California. In fact, ag officials found hundreds of the bugs in traps in the city of Dinuba in Tulare County. The traps were not in a commercial grove, however there are commercial groves nearby. The insects will now be tested for Huanglongbing disease, which is the primary concern.
While not a problem to humans, Huanglongbing disease damages and kills citrus trees. It has been detrimental to Florida’s citrus industry and could do the same damage in California. So far, the disease has only been found in one tree in this state, however there have been several findings of the psyllid. This is the third time the Asian citrus psyllid has shown up in traps in Tulare County, but in previous cases it was just a a few bugs. This time, there were so many officials couldn’t count them.