Asian Citrus Psyllid (ACP)

Lauren M. Diepenbrock and Jamie D. Burrow

Jawwad Qureshi andPhillip A. Stansly

Monitoring ACP populations is an important tool in the integrated management of citrus greening. The most efficient way to estimate field populations of this insect is by monitoring adults. Tap sampling has proven to provide data needed to make informed decisions for managing this insect pest. Other pest and beneficial insects and mites may fall on the sheet and can also be counted. We recommend 10 tap samples in each of the 10 locations per block, 5 on the periphery and 5 in the interior. ACP tends to accumulate on the block periphery, which therefore may require more frequent sprays.

Ariel Singerman and Brandon Page

A Citrus Health Management Area (CHMA) is a group of growers who work cooperatively to coordinate insecticide application timing and mode of action in order control the insect vector of citrus greening disease. CHMAs help prevent insect vectors from moving between groves and reduce the likelihood that insects will develop pesticide resistance. This fact sheet analyzes the case-study data on yields of Valencia oranges from blocks located in two different categories of CHMAs to find the impact of citrus greening disease on citrus yields and provide evidence on the effectiveness of best class CHMAs as a way to deal with the disease. The analysis provides evidence that CHMAs can enhance an individual grower’s profitability at a time when margins are becoming increasingly narrow.

T. A. Ebert, A. W. Schumann, and A. J. Krajewski

Protecting plants by targeting insect vectors of pathogenic organisms requires an intimate understanding of the biology of the insect, the pathogen, and the plant host at a spatial scale relevant to the insect. Observing insect feeding is difficult because insect mouthparts are small, and many insects insert their mouthparts deep inside plants, where we cannot see them. Electropenetrography (EPG) is the only technique that overcomes these problems. Using EPG, we can understand host-insect relationships, pesticide action, and the role of non-hosts. EPG can address ecological questions like "How do insects survive long migrations over regions devoid of known host plants?" It can also address applied questions: "Will the pest feed on my new cultivar?" This light introduction to an underused key technology focuses on a single example insect vector, the Asian citrus psyllid, but EPG has great potential to improve pest management efforts for many crops and insect vectors.

Eric Rohrig

A UF/IFAS numbered Organism ID. in support of UF/IFAS Extension program: Integrated Pest Management. This document provides an in-depth profile of the eastern black swallowtail butterfly, Papilio polyxenes asterius. It covers its distribution, physical description, life cycle, natural enemies, defenses, host plants, and economic importance. The butterfly is found throughout southern Canada, the eastern and mid-western United States, and northern Mexico. It is admired for its beauty but can occasionally be a pest. The document includes identification keys and discusses management strategies for controlling the butterfly in home gardens. Original publication date November 2011.

F. W. Mead and T. R. Fasulo

A UF/IFAS numbered Organism ID. in support of UF/IFAS Extension program: Integrated Pest Management

Lauren M. Diepenbrock, Xavier Martini, Jawwad Qureshi, andLukasz L. Stelinski

2026–2027 Florida Citrus Production Guide (Current Season Spray Guide).

Lauren M. Diepenbrock, Xavier Martini, Jawwad Qureshi, andLukasz L. Stelinski

2026–2029 Florida Citrus Production Guide (Citrus Production Fundamentals). The Asian citrus psyllid (ACP), Diaphorina citri Kuwayama, was first detected in Florida in 1998, and it has since become the key pest of citrus due to its role as vector of the pathogen that causes citrus greening disease, also known as huanglongbing (HLB) detected in 2005. The HLB pathogen, Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus (CLas), is transmitted and spread by adult ACP but acquired primarily by nymphs. ACP are sucking insects, related to aphids, that obtain most of their nutrition from phloem sap, which they access by feeding on leaves.

Timothy A. Ebert, Arnold Schumann, Laura Waldo, Daniel L. Stanton, andPhilippe Rolshausen

Building a physical barrier around citrus trees or groves can prevent contact between trees and Asian citrus psyllids, the carrier of the pathogen that causes huanglongbing. This new 4-page article is for growers, scientists, and industries that are interested in this approach to protect citrus from huanglongbing. Written by Timothy A. Ebert, Arnold W. Schumann, Laura Waldo, Daniel Stanton, and Philippe Rolshausen, and published by the UF/IFAS Department of Soil and Water Sciences.