Bloom

Monitor for Asian citrus psyllid by conducting visual surveys of newly forming flush, and by using sweep net surveying or tap sampling. Manage according to the Citrus Pest Management Guidelines. In areas where Asian citrus psyllid Is not known to have established (central and northern California), if Asian citrus psyllid is found, contact your local county agriculture commissioner’s office, and report it.

A CDFA liaison will provide research-backed information on Asian citrus psyllid management and coordinate treatments of commercial citrus.

Monitor California red scale males (March through October) plus additional methods (e.g. calculate degree days, monitor crawler tapes, and examine harvested fruit).

• Keep records (example red scale monitoring form—PDF).
• Distinguish male scales from scale parasites and other important insects caught in sticky traps.
• Release Aphytis melinus if biological control is compatible with the overall management program.

Look for spider mites and other mites.

• Monitor leaves for citrus red mite (February through June).
• Monitor leaves for twospotted spider mite (year-round).
• Keep records (example citrus red mite monitoring form—PDF).
• Look for natural enemies, especially Euseius tularensis and sixspotted thrips.

Manage if needed according to the Citrus Pest Management Guidelines.

Look for cottony cushion scale and predatory vedalia. Collect and relocate vedalia to cottony cushion scale-infested orchards if beetles have not arrived on their own during the month of April.

Look for other pests and their damage to fruit or damage to leaves and twigs, especially:

• Ants, including fire ants and gray ants
• Caterpillars, including amorbia, citrus cutworm, fruittree leafroller, omnivorous leafroller, and orange tortrix
• Citricola scale honeydew and females on twigs; be sure to distinguish citricola scale from brown soft scale
• European earwig (March through June)
• Forktailed bush katydid (March through June)

Manage if needed according to the Citrus Pest Management Guidelines.

Look for brown garden snail. Collect and relocate predatory decollate snails if

• they were not previously found in the orchard
• brown garden snail has been a problem, and
• decollate introductions are permitted in your county.

Manage if needed according to the Citrus Pest Management Guidelines.

• Use pesticides according to their labels to avoid killing honey bees.

Look for diseases that cause symptoms on fruit, leaves and twigs, and on limbs, trunks, and roots, especially:

• Anthracnose (tear stain and anthracnose rot of fruit)
• Bacterial blast (citrus blast)
• Brown rot decay and Septoria spot of fruit (if fruit is likely to be exported to China or Korea respectively, then these diseases are of concern)
• Dry root rot
• Phytophthora gummosis (crown and trunk) and Phytophthora root rot

Record the date and location of problem trees or sites. Manage if needed according to the Citrus Pest Management Guidelines.

Provide proper cultural care and good growing conditions to improve tree health and fruit yield, including:

• Fertilize if needed.
• Irrigate and adjust scheduling to meet trees’ varying water needs.
• Prune if needed and skirt-prune lower branches to reduce brown rot.

Harvest mature fruit in coordination with other management activities to ensure good postharvest fruit quality and food safety.

• Educate and supervise workers regarding fruit-handling Best Management Practices (BMPs)
• Inspect fruit quality before bins are moved from the picking site to identify grove areas where management practices need improvement.