This year’s first male flight of California red scale is noticeably later than in prior years, according to Sandipa Gautam, area citrus integrated pest management advisor for University of California Cooperative Extension.
The cold and wet winter has had a notable impact on pest populations. “Usually, March 1 is tentatively the time when we see the first male flight in Kern County. In Tulare, Fresno and Madera counties, things happen 10 to 14 days after what we see in Kern County,” Gautam said. “This year we got a notice that they saw the first biofix (April 9), which is more than five weeks later than the warmer years. What that means is that the first generation which would usually come by the first week of May is going to come later this year.”
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