Educational Workshops Increase Florida Residents Knowledge of Asian Citrus Psyllid and Citrus Greening Management

Since the arrival of the Asian citrus psyllid (ACP), Diaphorina citri , in the United States, citrus crops have faced the ongoing threat of citrus greening disease (HLB). This disease affects all settings across Florida, especially backyard citrus production. To address this, educational outreach efforts are being tailored for Florida residents to reduce the spread of ACP and HLB in urban areas. In 2023 to 2024, workshops were held in six North Florida counties (Gadsden, Jefferson, Leon, Bay, Columbia, and Santa Rosa) to help residents learn to identify, monitor, and control ACP and HLB. The outreach also introduced individual protective trees and reflective mulch as strategies to manage psyllid populations. A total of 71 homeowners participated in the post-training assessment, with 93% reporting increased knowledge of ACP identification. We found that many homeowners were not able to recognize ACP in situ, whereas they were able to identify it in a picture. From the survey, 86% of the responders expressed willingness to manage ACP and 89% agreed to remove infected trees. However, only 20% and 35% were willing to adopt individual protective tree covers and reflective mulch, respectively. Feedback suggests that public awareness and education on best management practices should be prioritized.