Kern County has had 35 more detections of Asian citrus psyllid (ACP) in the last two months, with 20 of those in commercial citrus orchards. A task force tracking the situation calls it alarming, after a “suspiciously quiet year” for ACP.
ACP is feared for transmitting the bacteria that cause citrus greening, which has devastated orchards in many other parts of the country and world. One psyllid testing positive for the bacteria was found in a commercial grove in Riverside County in August, but is yet to be found in Kern County.
“The suspicion is that these finds in commercial citrus groves are spilling over from residential properties,” according to a task force statement. “It is up to the citrus industry to deal with this threat.”
The task force is encouraging growers in Kern County to take a number of precautions to ward off the pests.
