State to spray to kill citrus pest in So. Calif.

State officials will spray backyard citrus plantings in Riverside County to kill a tiny pest that is potentially fatal to trees.

The Press-Enterprise newspaper says the Department of Food and Agriculture will start spraying Tuesday in two areas of East Hemet and Valle Vista.

About 3,500 residential properties will be treated as a preventative measure. Officials say the Asian citrus psyllid can spread a bacteria that is deadly to citrus, but no infestation has been detected in the area.

It’s the first time residential properties have been treated in the San Jacinto Valley since 2012, but the state recently sprayed in the Redlands area and in Riverside near the University of California campus.

All Southern California counties are under quarantine, which prohibits the movement of plants or citrus that might be affected.