This week, the first of the citrus bloom calls was made in Kern County for all citrus south of 7th Standard Road. The call was made for 12:01 a.m. March 27, 2025, and will end when 75 percent of the petals on the north side of citrus trees within the district have fallen. This establishes the beginning of a period when the use of insecticides is greatly restricted in citrus groves to enable bees to work the citrus blossoms and reduce the potential of pesticide damage to the bees.
As a reminder, all citrus growers, pest control operators, and beekeepers must comply with sections 6983 and 6984 of the California Code of Regulations covering the citrus/bee protection areas. The area within one mile of any citrus planting of one acre or more is designated as a citrus/bee protection area.
We anticipate bloom calls for the remaining districts in Kern, Tulare and Fresno counties in the following days and weeks. CCM staff will continue to monitor bloom and petal fall announcements and update growers. If you have questions, please contact your local agricultural commissioner’s office.
If you are unsure of your bloom district, use the GIS map on the CCM website to view districts (select ‘Bloom Districts’ from the layers tab in the upper right-hand corner). As a reminder, Tulare County added a third district last year to account for changes in weather conditions, growing seasons and areas, and different varietals being planted over the past several years.
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