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Depending on the region and how heavy the populations are, there will be fewer gener- ations this year. This will probably result in fewer treatments in some areas—good news for growers. There are numerous organic and conven- tional chemical treatments. Some of the newer chemistries also treat for Asian citrus psyllid. There are also nonchemical treatments. A beneficial organism called Aphytis is a red-scale-specific parasite that attacks the pest. Pheromone disruption also works well against red scale. Lurers are placed in the trees that emit pheromone for red scale. It confuses the males in finding the females, disrupts mat- ing and reduces populations. Pheromone disruption doesn’t completely eliminate spray applications, but it greatly de- creases the need to spray. Some areas aren’t spraying at all after after several years of using pheromone disruptors. While it’s not a silver bullet, it definitely helps.
Red scale is a heat-driven pest. This year, be- cause of milder weather, the pest hasn’t been as problematic. That means chemical applica- tions are occurring later. This makes timing of new chemistries critical because they rely on hitting the right stages of the insect activity. Red scale doesn’t actually look like an insect. It resembles a reddish-orange round spot when it crawls onto the fruit. The insect can have mul- tiple generations. It cascades around the fruit and causes blemishes on the peel. Because high temperatures increase red scale reproduction, it doesn’t become abun- dant early in the season. Over the past few years, between the drought and heat accumula- tion, growers were able to make spray applica- tions for thrips and red scale at the same time. This year, the spray applications will most likely be a couple months apart due to the weather. Coastal regions such as Ventura and San Diego counties won’t have the pressure that’s seen in the desert or the San Joaquin Valley.
PEST CONTROL ADVISOR
What are tips to manage red scale in citrus groves?
Chris Boisseranc, Southwest Ag Consulting, Redlands
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July 19, 2023 Ag Alert 19
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