Today Gavin Iacono, Deputy Commissioner/Sealer, Standards & Quarantine, Tulare County Agricultural Commissioner/Sealer Office, commented on the invasive find on Citrus Psyllid in Porterville and the possibility of a quarantine.

Iacono said that the State and USDA were still waiting to determine if they have met the criteria to decide if there is an infestation.

Adult Asian Citrus Psyllid Feeds on Citrus, with immature nymphs nearby.

“These government agencies are not currently requesting growers to spray; they are not requiring growers to do anything.”

Yet, growers are concerned this can be a newly established population.

“The State and USDA are doing limitations around these refined sites,” explained Iacono. “In other words, there are 100 traps per square mile in the delineated section—one mile around each find site. In this core area, they check traps daily.”

“Outside that,” Iacono continued, “in the surrounding eight-square-mile-area, they set up 50 traps per square mile and check them every other day.”

Iacono remarked, “They’ve actually been checking these on yellow sticky traps, or blunder traps, for the last four or five days, through the weekend, and so far they’ve found nothing.”

“This is good news,” said Iacono.