The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and California Department of Pest Regulation have approved CRS Plus, an aerosol pheromone biopesticide product that disrupts the mating cycle of Aonidiella aurantii, also known as California Red Scale (CRS). Pheromones do not kill or damage the target insects, and are species-specific, so pollinators and other beneficial insect species are not affected.

CRS attacks all aerial parts of citrus trees, including twigs, leaves, branches and fruit. Heavy infestations can cause reduced fruit quality, yellowing and dropping of leaves, dieback of twigs and limbs and even death of the tree.

This article appears in the January 2018 issue of Natural Awakenings.