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SACRAMENTO - Aug. 18, 2026 - The California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) have confirmed the detection of Huanglongbing (HLB), or citrus greening disease, in one tree on a residential property in the city of Calexico, Imperial County, triggering a quarantine. This is the first HLB detection in the county and CDFA is working with USDA and the Imperial County Agricultural Commissioner on response.
The detection triggers a mandatory five-mile-radius quarantine area around the find site to restrict the movement of citrus fruit, trees and related plant material, with the southern boundary of the quarantine area marked by the U.S.-Mexico border. USDA will work closely with Mexico's National Service for Agro-Alimentary Health, Safety and Quality (SENASICA) to communicate associated quarantine implications in Imperial County. The quarantine area is bordered by the McCabe Road; on the south by the U.S.-Mexico border; on the west by Rockwood Road; and on the east by Barbara Worth Road. HLB quarantine maps are available online on the CDFA's Citrus Division's website.
HLB is a bacterial disease that affects the vascular system of citrus trees and plants and is spread by the Asian citrus psyllid (ACP). It does not pose a threat to humans or animals. ACP can spread HLB as it feeds on citrus leaves and stems. Once a tree is infected, there is no cure and the tree will die. HLB quarantine areas currently exists in parts of Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego and Ventura counties, where more than 10,700 trees have tested positive for the disease and have been removed since 2012.
CDFA staff have treated and removed the infected tree in Calexico and are in the process of surveying all citrus trees within a 250-meter radius around the detection site. A treatment program for citrus trees to reduce ACP infestations will also be conducted within 250 meters of the find site. By taking this action, a critical reservoir of the disease and its vectors will be removed, which is essential to protect surrounding citrus from this deadly disease.
The HLB quarantine prohibits the movement of all citrus nursery stock, host plants or plant parts out of the quarantine area. Provisions exist to allow the movement of commercially cleaned and packed citrus fruit. Fruit that is not commercially cleaned and packed must be kept on the property on which it is grown, although it may be processed and/or consumed on the premises. This includes residential citrus such as oranges, lemons, grapefruit and kumquats.
Residents in the quarantine area are urged to take several steps to help protect citrus trees:
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Do not move citrus plants, leaves or foliage into or out of the quarantine area or across state or international borders. Keep it local.
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Cooperate with agricultural officials who may be placing traps, inspecting trees and treating for the pest in your area.
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If you no longer wish to care for your citrus tree, consider removing it so it does not become a host to the pest and disease.
CDFA, in partnership with the USDA, local County Agricultural Commissioners and the citrus industry, continues to pursue a strategy of controlling the spread of the ACP while researchers work to find a cure for the disease.
For more information on how to protect your California's citrus, visit CaliforniaCitrusThreat.org.
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