There have been increasing reports of significant numbers of citricola scale in the San Joaquin Valley. UC Cooperative Extension Citrus Farm Advisor, Sandipa Gautam said populations can build up quickly under the right environmental conditions. The past few years have created an optimal environment for citricola scale proliferation.
“This is a soft scale insect that has one generation per year. It likes the cold and wet spring and mild summer days in early May/June. What that does is it allows for females to survive better and produce more eggs,” Gautam explained. “That’s what we’ve been seeing this year; also, in 2023. So, the population has been quietly building up and this year we saw more.”
A recent memo on citricola scale details management parameters for the 2024 season. Monitoring now through the next several weeks will be the ideal time for planning mitigation strategies. “Crawlers will continue to emerge through July. So, the best time to treat would be by the end of July/early August,” said Gautam.
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Brian German
Ag News Director / AgNet West