Discovery of citrus-disease insect triggers huge quarantine in Fresno County

State agriculture officials have established a 97-square-mile quarantine over much of Fresno after finding an Asian citrus psyllid nearly three weeks ago.

The psyllid was found on a citrus tree at a home near Clinton Avenue and Highway 99 in Fresno. The tiny insect is a major threat to the state’s citrus industry because of its potential to carry a deadly citrus disease known as huanglongbing, or citrus greening.

The quarantine’s boundaries are bordered on the north by West Alluvial Avenue; on the south by West North Avenue; on the west by North Chateau Avenue; and on the east by South Chestnut Avenue.

Residents with backyard citrus trees in the quarantine area are asked not to transport or send citrus fruit or leaves, potted citrus trees, or curry leaves from the quarantine area. The psyllid likes to eat leaves from citrus and curry plants.

Residents in the area who think they have seen the insect or symptoms of the disease on their trees are urged to call California Department of Food and Agriculture’s Pest Hotline at 800-491-1899 or your local agricultural commissioner’s office, 559-600-7510.

The quarantine map for Fresno is available online at: www.cdfa.ca.gov/go/acp-maps.

This story was originally published January 25, 2016 at 2:30 PM with the headline "Discovery of citrus-disease insect triggers huge quarantine in Fresno County."