BOLO For a new pest in santa Clara County!

If you have stone fruit trees, you're going to want to pay close attention to this post. Plum Bud Gall Mite has been discovered in Santa Clara County. For those of you unfamiliar with this pest, here's the low-down:

• They are very small (microscopically small). Typically, they are 0.15mm long or less, and are very difficult to see without a magnifying glass. 
• Because of their size, they are difficult to identify before they have started to cause damage to your trees. 
• They are primarily found in the Middle East and Europe. 
• They feed predominately on Almond, Apricot, Peach and Plum trees. 
• The injury they cause to trees can vary, depending on how bad the infestation is and the health of the tree prior to their arrival. They have led to weakened trees, decreased fruit yield, and death. Some trees also recover, and other trees are resistant to this particular mite. ​

The Plum Bud Gall Mite (Acalitus phloeocoptes (Nalepa)

​If you have any of these trees and run outside to check them out only to find you're too late and the little buggers have infested your baby, contact the Santa Clara County Department of Agriculture at (408)918-4600. The presence and spread of these mites are of great concern. 

You also have a few options available for getting rid of these mites. To learn more, consult the link below:
University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources

You can also check out this Plum Bud Gall Mite fact sheet: 

plum_bed_gall_mite_fact_sheet.pdf
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File Type:	pdf

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