PALM SPRINGS, Calif. (AP) -- State agricultural officials have placed parts of Riverside and San Bernardino counties under quarantine to minimize the spread of the Asian citrus psyllid, which can carry a disease fatal to lemon and orange trees.
The California Department of Food and Agriculture announced Tuesday that more than 2,000 square miles of those counties, including the Palm Springs area, were put under quarantine after psyllids were trapped in nearby parts of Imperial, San Diego and Los Angeles counties.
The quarantine covers roughly 8,500 square miles in Southern California. Agricultural officials announced that the San Diego portion of the zone had expanded by nearly 1,000 square miles.
An additional 5,700 square miles are under quarantine in other parts of the state.
