HLB detected in LA area

The dreaded Huanglongbing, a devastating citrus disease, was detected in a Los Angeles County neighborhood last week, reported Diana Marcum and Rosanna Xia in the Los Angeles Times. It is the first confirmed case of the disease in California.

Asian citrus psyllid, which can spread the bacteria that cause the disease, is already infesting Southern California. Rachael Myrow of the California Report blogged about interviewing Mark Hoddle, UC Cooperative Extension specialist in the Department of Entomology at UC Riverside, in January about his efforts to fight the psyllid by releasing Punjabi wasps.

Beth Grafton-Cardwell, UC Cooperative Extension specialist based at UC Riverside and director of the Lindcove Research & Extension Center, has been educating backyard gardeners and commercial growers how to identify and control the insect.

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