HLB (Huanglongbing)

Asian Citrus Psyllid and Huanglongbing

A tiny insect no bigger than a grain of rice may go unnoticed on your citrus trees, but it could have devastating consequences for California citrus if not stopped. The Asian citrus psyllid feeds on citrus leaves and stems, and can infect citrus trees with a bacteria that causes a serious plant disease called Huanglongbing, also known as HLB or citrus greening disease. While not harmful to humans, the disease kills citrus trees and has no cure.

The best way to protect citrus trees from HLB is to stop the Asian citrus psyllid. Once a tree is infected with HLB, it will die. Diseased trees need to be removed in order to protect other citrus trees on the property, neighbors’ trees and the community’s citrus.

Why Treat?

Treating to reduce the number of psyllids is very similar to getting an annual flu shot; it may not prevent you from getting the flu, but it certainly improves your odds of not getting the disease or if you do get the flu, the flu won’t be as bad. The same is true for the citrus disease; you may still get an infected tree, but all your trees might not get infected. The more vigilant you are in treating your citrus to control the psyllids, the more likely you will be to not get the disease!