Over the past two weeks, Kern, Tulare, and Fresno County Agricultural Commissioners have begun announcing citrus petal fall for various bloom districts. Petal fall is established when 75 percent of the petals on the north side of citrus trees within a district have fallen. Currently, only District 3 in Tulare County and District 4 in Fresno County have yet to announce petal fall dates. We will continue to monitor announcements from the respective Ag Commissioner’s offices and keep the membership apprised of when the remaining districts are called.
As of now, the dates below have been established for petal fall in each county:
Tulare County
District 1 Petal Fall – 1:00 a.m. Sunday, April 21st, 2024
District 2 Petal Fall –1:00 a.m. Saturday, April 27th, 2024
District 3 Petal Fall – TBD
Kern County
South of 7th Standard Road – 12:01 a.m. Saturday, April 13, 2024
North of 7th Standard Road – 12:01 a.m. Thursday, April 25, 2024
Fresno County
District 1 and 2 – 1:00 a.m. Saturday, April 27, 2024
District 3 – 1:00 a.m. Sunday, April 28, 2024
District 4 – TBD
As a reminder, beekeepers have 48 hours after the official petal fall date to remove hives from groves. If you wish to apply a pesticide toxic to bees before 48 hours after the official petal fall date, you must notify any beekeepers with hives within 1 mile of the application site. Additionally, the declaration of petal fall DOES NOT supersede product labeling. All applicators are reminded that they must always read and follow the pesticide product labeling regarding toxicity to bees.
If you wish to familiarize yourself with bloom districts, you may use our interactive GIS map. This map allows you to search specific locations to see what bloom district your citrus is located in. Tulare County growers and applicators, please note that a third bloom district was established this year, and your district may have changed.
For more information regarding citrus/bee regulations, we encourage you to contact your County Agricultural Commissioner’s Office.
Tulare County – (559) 684-3352
Kern County – (661) 868-6300
Fresno County – (559) 600-7300
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