23/05/2025
DO YOU HAVE ANY OF THESE PESTS IN YOUR CITRUS TREES?
Sometimes we overlook pests because we get too busy in life. But there are pests on citrus trees that are carriers of certain bacterial and fungal diseases, which cause reduced fruit yield, the presence of worms in the fruit, and dieback of branches on your fruit trees.
Look at the photos and inspect your trees for the following insects that can cause significant damage.
The Asian psyllid is probably the one that causes the most damage, because this little pest is responsible for a bacterial disease called “citrus greening” or the dreaded HLB—this disease keeps our export citrus out of international markets. This bacterial disease causes the leaves to develop asymmetrical yellow patterns, the fruit refuses to ripen and is sometimes also dry and bitter in the centre.
Psylla is another pest that makes your leaves look like fever blisters, because it has laid its eggs in them. Get rid of all these deformed leaves, as they harbour numerous eggs that hatch and lay more eggs on new leaves. It can also cause bacterial and fungal diseases in citrus trees.
The presence of black aphids on the newer leaves is a sign that your tree’s soil ph levels are not correct and that the tree was unable to absorb the necessary nutrients. It then produces too many photosynthesis sugars, and the necessary trace elements are not present in the leaf to convert those excess sugars. So, do not kill the aphids, because they are an indicator of an unhealthy plant.
Mealybug, or white louse, is that white woolly aphid that sits on the underside of the leaf and happily sucks sugars from the leaf. Just like the black aphids, they are also an indicator of an unhealthy tree and are usually followed by the Asian psyllid.
So, inspect the top and underside of your citrus tree leaves, so these pests can be managed during the July pruning process. Watch our video course, PRUNING CITRUS TREES, R250, to learn how to get rid of these insects, improve the health of the tree, and find out more about how incorrect pruning can lead to plant diseases and reduced fruit yield.
To order your video, send your name, CITRUS, and email address to Tessa via WhatsApp on 0663266321.
