When: Wednesday, October 2, 2024

Where: Lindcove Research and Extension Center Conference Building

22963 Carson Ave., Exeter, CA 93221

Register by September 15 with using the link; Workshop fees: $40. Payment will reserve you a spot.

Instructor: Dr. Sandipa Gautam

Course Objective: To teach PCAs how to recognize the various life stages of California red scale and their parasites.  With this knowledge PCAs can determine the level of parasitism of California red scale in their citrus orchards and make better decisions about scale control tactics.

8:00-8:30 a.m. Registration: Lindcove REC

8:30-12:00

1. Introduction: The armored scale problem, how weather and climate has affected CRS in the last decade, monitoring and making pest management decisions and the best management practices (biological, mating disruption, chemical).

1. Lecture: Life stages of California red scale
2. Microscope: Identification of scale stages, including molts and instars as well as differentiation of males and females
3. Lecture: Life stages of Aphytis melinus and Comperiella bifasciata
4. Microscope: Identification of external parasitization by Aphytis melinus and internal parasitization by Comperiella bifasciata in armored scale

12:00-1:00  Lunch (provided)

1:00-4:00 p.m. 

1. Continuation of microscope identification of scale and parasitism
2. Field collected fruit evaluations: Counting scale stages, including molting and differentiation of males and females and external parasitization by Aphytis melinus and internal parasitization by Comperiella bifasciata in armored scale
3. Quiz on scale stages and parasitism
4. Visiting filed with ongoing CRS trial, observing effects of different pesticide products, monitoring, hanging pheromone.

Cost of the Workshop is $40 (including lunch and classroom materials).  Class size is limited to 30 participants so early sign-up is recommended.  A check/cash payment will reserve your place in the class. Please make checks are made payable to the “UC Regents”.  Class is more fun when you bring scale-infested fruit from one of your own orchards to the class (make sure to remove all leaves and stems, wipe the fruit and bring it in a closed bag to protect LREC from Asian citrus psyllid).  If you own a dissection microscope and light, please let us know and bring it with you.  

CRS Annoucement October 2_2024

Continuing education credits (5 other) have been requested for this course.