Abstract The selection of reference genes is a crucial step for quantitative real‐time PCR analyses and increasingly the use of more than one reference gene for accurate and reliable normalization is being recommended. In this study, a set of six genes was selected and their stability was assessed in different life stages and female organs of Bactericera cockerelli harbouring or not the bacterial pathogen ‘ Candidatus Liberibacter solanacearum’ (Lso) haplotype B. The stability of each gene was determined using the B est K eeper , N orm F inder and G e N orm programs. These analyses identified elongation factor‐1a , ribosomal protein subunit L5 and ribosomal protein subunit 18 as the most stable genes to analyse gene expression during the insect life stages irrespective of Lso presence; Lso haplotype B only affected their respective ranking. By contrast, a common set of normalizers could not be found amongst the different female organs tested (bacteriomes, alimentary canals and reproductive organs).