Citrus pests found in India-to-Fresno shipment
California Department of Agriculture investigators found one of the citrus industry's most feared pests on a check of a shipment of curry leaves from India that arrived at Fresno's airport earlier this month.
The bugs were detected by a specially trained dog at FedEx's cargo facility, the Fresno Bee reported Thursday. The leaves were tucked in a duffel bag that arrived July 10 and found during a routine search.
The bugs found were citrus psyllids, and were alive, said Tye Hafner, Fresno County deputy agricultural commissioner.
'No bigger than an aphid, this brownish winged insect is despised for the damage it can cause trees and the potential for carrying Huanglongbing, or citrus greening, one of the most devastating diseases in the citrus world,' the newspaper report said. 'The bug was found last year in San Diego and Imperial counties, prompting local, state and federal officials to launch an all-out effort to quash the bug and prevent it from moving into the San Joaquin Valley, the center of the state’s $1.3 billion citrus industry.'
The curry leaves carrying the psyllids arrived from Cochin, the biggest port city in the southern Indian state of Kerala.
Citrus pests found in India-to-Fresno shipment
