Estimation of Dispersal Pattern of Adult Asian Citrus Psyllid, Diaphorina citri Kuwayama (Hemiptera: Psyllidae)

The Asian citrus psyllid Diaphorina cirri is an important vector of citrus greening disease (Huanglongbing). We investigated its dispersal pattern on Citrus depressa by no-choice and choice tests to determine the risk of the spread of Huanglongbing. D. citri began to disperse from a released tree to another tree 4-5 d after adult emergence. The dispersal movement of adults was more active on trees with newly developing buds. Choice testing between trees with and without buds revealed that released adults preferred trees with buds over the 2 d test period. This preference disappeared when both trees were treated with a sticky spray to prevent adult movement between trees. These results suggest that adult D. citri do not select trees with new buds from a distance but recognize them by random movement between trees.