Los Angeles

Quarantine Issued After Deadly Citrus Pest Found in Santa Clara County

The California Department of Food and Agriculture detected the first Bay Area case of the Asian citrus psyllid this month, revealing a pest that causes a deadly disease for citrus trees, and leaves its oranges, limes and the like bitter and inedible.

As a result, the department is quarantining an area in Santa Clara County, where the pest was found earlier this month, according to a department news release issued on Thursday. The 99-square-mile area under quarantine is bordered by Alum Rock Park in the north, by Santa Teresa Boulevard in the south, by North Monroe Street in the west and by Joseph D. Grant County Park in the east.

The quarantine means that no one can move any citrus or curry trees from the area, and all citrus fruit must be cleaned of leaves and stems before moving out of area.

Because the infested area is small, the CDFA is hoping to eliminate the pest rather than simply control its spread. There is no cure once the tree is infected. Humans are not affected by this disease, according to Steve Lyle, spokesman for the Department of Agriculture.

Joel Nelsen, president, California Citrus Mutual, a nonprofit citrus growers association, echoed Lyle's comments about the impact on homeowners in affected area. Nelsen said homeowners will be asked to help stop the spread of the pest before it infects trees.

The pest quarantines are now in place in Imperial, Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego, Santa Barbara, Tulare, Ventura, and portions of Fresno, Kern, and San Luis Obispo counties. But only one case of the disease has so far been found in California - once, in 2012 on a residential property in Hacienda Heights in Los Angeles County.

The pest was first found in the United States in 1998 in Palm Beach County, Florida, according to information on CDFA's website. The Asian Citrus Psyllids were first found in California Aug. 27, 2008.

Residents in the area who think they may have seen ACP or symptoms of HLB on their citrus trees are urged to call CDFA’s Pest Hotline at 1-800-491-1899. To watch a video about the disease, click here.

Bay City News contributed to this report.

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