Now is the time for Florida citrus growers to implement management tactics to control the Asian citrus psyllid (ACP), the insect that vectors citrus greening, also known as huanglongbing (HLB).
ACPs are currently in low populations across Florida’s citrus-producing region. That means growers should act now to protect their crop from the insect’s impact, says Chris Oswalt, University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) citrus Extension agent.
“I think we’ve come to the realization that we’re not going to get rid of psyllids, but there is some benefit from maintaining lower psyllid levels in groves,” Oswalt said. “One of the better times of the year is to try to get them at the end of the winter before things get going. Populations of adults are so low over the winter that you can really get a good head start on psyllid control by catching them during that dormant time period. Their populations are down, and you can knock them down. That will hopefully allow you to go a little further into the spring without really high populations of psyllids.”
According to UF/IFAS, young citrus trees are most susceptible to HLB and attractive to ACP due to frequent flushing. Management of ACP is crucial since it vectors the disease that has devastated Florida’s citrus crop and is a potential threat to the crop in the cold-hardy citrus region of North Florida and South Georgia.
Imidacloprid and other systemic insecticides can be effective in controlling the pests, though they are not 100% effective. See more on ACP management here.
By Clint Thompson