(BATON ROUGE)---State agriculture officials are asking citrus famers and backyard growers statewide to be alert for a disease-causing insect that can prevent citrus from ripening and possibly even kill the entire tree.

Louisiana Agriculture Commissioner Dr. Mike Strain reported that the Asian citrus psyllid, an insect that looks like a cicada, has been confirmed on citrus trees in Orleans and Jefferson Parishes.

Dr. Strain said that the insect can spread citrus greening disease, which can prevent the citrus from ripening and possibly kill the tree itself. He added that, so far, the bug has been reported in both Texas and Florida, but that the disease itself has only been found in Florida.

With citrus being a $6.4 million a year industry in the state, Dr. Strain emphasized that growers should be alert for the possibility of the insect being on trees. He added that samples will be collected and analyzed to determine the extent of possible infestation.

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