Chinese New Year gifts could spread citrus pest

As Chinese New Year approaches, an industry group is asking those who give fruit as gifts to take extra care to avoid spreading a citrus pest. The Asian citrus psyllid has been turning up in new areas of California, and officials hope gifts of oranges or tangerines given on the lunar new year, Feb 3., won't include the insect. Since the pest lives on stems and leaves, the grower-funded Citrus Research Board asked people to remove those pieces from citrus before giving it away and also to wash and inspect the fruit. The 3- to 4-millimeter bug can carry huanglongbing, a disease that isn't harmful to humans but ruins fruit and kills citrus trees. The disease hasn't been spotted in California, but the pest turned up in Redlands, Corona and Ventura County in recent months, said Steve Lyle, public affairs director for the California Department of Food and Agriculture.
"Previously, we weren't seeing a whole lot of movement into new areas," he said. Those discoveries widened the area that's subject to restrictions on moving citrus trees and plant parts. Although the pest still hasn't been spotted in the Coachella Valley, most of the valley was placed under the quarantine in November 2009 when the psyllid was found in northwestern Imperial County. Citrus Research Board officials asked people who plan to give fruit as a gift not to move citrus fruit outside of the quarantine area, which covers much of the valley but excludes areas north of Dillon Road and east of Highway 62. "The best way to protect our citrus is to control the pest," Citrus Research Board President Ted Batkin said in a statement.