Just saw this in the paper.

Quote:

Citrus trees quarantined in 3 S.C. counties BEAUFORT -- Ned Rahn isn't sure where in Beaufort County federal agriculture surveyors found one of the world's most dangerous citrus pests. He just knows it wasn't on his trees. Rahn and his wife, Faye, own 300 to 400 citrus plants near their home in Port Royal. They sell lemon, orange, grapefruit and lime trees to area residents, nurseries and landscaping companies. A new state and federal quarantine will keep Rahn and other citrus growers in three South Carolina counties -- including Beaufort County -- from shipping trees out of the area. The movement of citrus plants and plant material from Beaufort, Charleston and Colleton counties is indefinitely prohibited after a tiny bug, known to carry a bacterial disease that kills citrus trees, was found on backyard citrus in August and September during a U.S. Department of Agriculture survey. "They didn't find any in my trees," Rahn said. Though harmless to humans, the Asian citrus psyllid poses a serious threat to billion-dollar citrus industries in California and Florida. The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Sciences said the bug was one of the two most serious citrus pests in the world. "South Carolina doesn't have a major citrus industry, so the purpose of the quarantine is really to protect those states that grow citrus commercially," said Christel Harden, assistant department head of the Department of Plant Industry at Clemson University. The insect, which is smaller than one-tenth of an inch, is known to carry an as-yet incurable bacterial disease known as citrus greening. Citrus greening can cause fruit from infected trees to become bitter and eventually will kill the tree. -- The Beaufort Gazette

Sad news Lazz. I did not expect ACP to spread as fast as it has. I expected to see a small part of GA show up far before SC, but based on the National Map I posted yesterday, all of GA is already under quarentine.

I was also hoping that prevailing easterly winds would keep the psyllid out of this area, but that hope was dashed when the psyllid was found in TX and LA and has already spread to MS and AL. That little pest is fast!

I am considering plans for a screen enclosure to grow my citrus. I have not seen ACPs here yet, but I am certain I will soon.

Laaz is being hamletted! Are citrus fruits exempted from the quarantine? How about citrus seeds?

Changes in climate, no matter what the cause, can facilitate the spread of these insects and their pathogens. It is just a matter of time.

Hi Joe. I have a N. Charleston mailing address but I am in Dorchester county so no problem for me YET... I just found out about this...

I think I am going to do a screened enclosure as well in the spring.

My condolences to Ned & Faye. Hope it doesn't spread.
I think you should all move up here where it's too cold for the little buggers.

Patty they have found no greening, just the vector that can spread it.

I would not want to look at the ACP National Map that Skeet posted at this time next year. I'm sorry to hear of the affect on Ned's nursery, by the discovery of the psyllid. It is a shame as Ned has put a lot of time, money and effort into his business. The quarantine has already stopped intrastate citrus tree shipping from all of the Florida nurseries, and some of the Texas and Southern California nurseries (south SD county). It soon, very well could affect the rest of the remaining northern CA nurseries such as Four Winds Growers. As I cautioned in an earlier post, if there are certain citrus varieties that you want, it might behoove you to order them sooner, rather than later. - Millet

Four Winds has a nursery in Winters, California. It is about 20 miles directly west of Davis, California. I was surprised that there is a citrus nursery there, knowing that Winters are by the foothills, and so they are supposed to get cold drained air seepage during cold times.

But as usual, my micromet professor whom I happen to meet again in pomegranate tasting in Winters, reminded me that due to the steep structure from the Montecillo Dam in Lake Berryessa (I used to fish there while a grad student), and the mass of water where air blows over, it creates a small warming effect down below, sufficient to counter the cold air drainage, giving Winters a good microclimate for citruses. In fact, most fruit trees such as peaches, nectarines, pomegranates, cherries, apples, plums and citruses ripen there earlier than us here in Davis. And the citruses are a lot sweeter and flavorful too. Being a nice microclimate where Four Winds in Northern California is, it will surely be near ideal for the Asian citrus Psyllid once it gets hold there. But of course, there is an equivalent chasm that divides the South and North California, and the only contamination would most likely be from movement of people.

Sooner or later the Asian citrus psyllid will have spread everywhere. At that time the quarantines well be lifted and hopefully a cure for citrus greening.

And us in the northern parts will be hit much later, and Millet's citruses will be hit last, so his collection would be worth $millions indeed!

I appreciate everyone’s concern about the ACP being found in Beaufort County, but from what I know now this will not have a big impact our little business. The most recent APHIS regulations (dated October 1, 2008) governing the movement of citrus, spell out the requirements for other areas of the country and I expect the requirements for SC to be the same. The regulations can be found here.

http://www.aphis.usda.gov/plant_health/plant_pest_info/citrus_greening/regs.shtml

The truth is that the ACP is almost certainly in every coastal county in the Southeast and Gulf Coast, up to Charleston County in SC, and most likely beyond. There are coastal counties between here and Florida that are not under quarantine, but I would be very much surprised if there were no ACP's in them. The USDA has limited resources, so determining how far they have spread will take time.

Interestingly, if I read this regulation correctly, anyone, except persons from Florida, will be able to take citrus to the Citrus Expo. Actually, taking a plant from a non-quarantine area, to another non-quarantine area, seems to be within the requirements to the rules. Taking citrus from a non-quarantine area to quarantine area presents an interesting problem. Technically, it is legal to take the trees into a quarantine area, but bringing them back into the non-quarantine area would be prohibited under the current regulation. I am sure this problem would be easily overcome by treating the trees prior to moving them. I believe I heard (or read) that Georgia elected to quarantined the whole state to overcome this problem. I understand there is discussion ongoing as to how to handle the trees at the expo.

Of course, this is all subject to change with the next regulatory update.

Most of my sales are local, but I will treat any trees I sell outside of this county, according to the most recent regulations, whether it is actually a requirement or not.

Skeet,

Your link didn't get me to a map, but did take me to an interesting tropical fruit and ornamental supplier. Thanks!

Is this the map you are refering to? http://www.doacs.state.fl.us/pi/chrp/ArcReader/ArcReader.html

Ned

I don't see a link that Skeeter posted(?). Maybe deleted???

This is all really scary...but, don't y'all believe that it's too cold in Colorado & here for this stuff to spread by us?
Having a hard believing that it already spread to SC so soon.

Ned, That is the Florida map I was refering to. I will see if I can find and re-post the link to the national map.

here is the national map:
http://www.aphis.usda.gov/plant_health/plant_pest_info/citrus_greening/downloads/pdf_files/nationalquarantinemap.pdf