Poinsettia Whitefly Infestation Found in San Joaquin Valley

SAN FRANCISCO —  The voracious poinsettia whitefly, which has devastated produce in Imperial and Riverside counties, has invaded California’s fertile San Joaquin Valley, agricultural officials said Friday.

Lenord L. Craft, the agricultural commissioner for Tulare County, described the infestation as “very light” and added that “it is not a big economic problem--yet--and we don’t anticipate any major outbreak because of the cooler weather.” Cold slows the rapid reproductive rate of the pest, which farmers have christened “superbug” for its appetite and pesticide resistance.

“We have found it in a greenhouse in Terra Bella in the southern part of the county, a field of broccoli in Seville in the north and at a produce company that sells bedding plants near Goshen,” said Craft.

A serious infestation in the San Joaquin Valley could cause far worse damage than in the Imperial Valley, where the pest has already destroyed an estimated $84 million in crops and has idled about 2,500 farm workers. The damage has meant that prices of some vegetables, such as lettuce, have doubled.

The more than 200 crops grown in the San Joaquin Valley last year provided $11.2 billion of California’s record $18.3 billion gross crop value.

In an interview earlier this month, Assemblyman Rusty Areias (D-Los Banos), head of the Assembly Agriculture Committee, said his greatest fear was that the bug would spread into the fertile Central Valley.

Norman Smith, Fresno County entomologist, said Friday that no outbreaks “have been brought to our attention” but added that the insect “most likely” is already in the county.

Both Craft and Smith said agricultural officials and growers in their counties are taking a “wait-and-see” attitude because few whiteflies have been found.

Scientists have speculated that the whitefly, which attacks everything from cotton to cauliflower, would be hindered by the cooler climate in Tulare, Fresno and Kern counties, the heart of the state’s growing region, where nighttime temperatures have been dipping into the 30s.

Already, populations that were so thick in the Imperial Valley last summer that they resembled dust clouds have dropped dramatically in the desert cold and rain.

Tulare County agricultural officials ordered a check of greenhouses last week after the magnitude of the Imperial Valley infestation became known. Results of tests in Sacramento confirmed the presence of the pest on Wednesday.

Gov. Pete Wilson on Monday declared a state of emergency in Imperial and Riverside counties because of the infestation.