San Francisco under pest quarantine after Asian citrus psyllid detected

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SAN FRANCISCO (BCN) State agricultural officials have placed all of San Francisco under a plant pest quarantine because of the recent detection of an Asian citrus psyllid, city public health officials said Thursday.

The yellowish orange insects cause harm to all citrus plants and related plants such as curry leaf trees by transmitting the bacteria that cause the disease Huanglongbing, which causes trees to produce bitter and misshapen fruit and eventually die.%INLINE%

According to the city's Department of Public Health, the quarantine prohibits the movement of citrus and curry leaf tree nursery stock. Residents with backyard citrus trees in San Francisco are asked to not 
transport or send citrus fruit or leaves.

"Even though San Francisco County is not a commercial citrus producing area, we all play a role in limiting the spread of this insect," San Francisco Agricultural Commissioner Cree Morgan said in a news release.%INLINE%

The SFDPH Agriculture Program is working with the state's Department of Food and Agriculture to start a survey and treatment program.

Crews have placed insect detection traps around the area of the Marina District where the insect was detected to see if it is a single insect or part of a larger population.

Anyone who thinks they may have seen an Asian citrus psyllid or has symptoms of the Huanglongbing disease on their trees is asked to call the state pest hotline at (800) 491-1899 or the San Francisco Agricultural Commissioner at (415) 252-3830.

More information about the insect and the disease can be found online at https://www.cdfa.ca.gov/plant/acp.