Federal and California agriculture officials have expanded the Tau fruit fly quarantine in Los Angeles County and the Oriental fruit fly (OFF) quarantine in San Bernadino and Riverside counties. The actions were taken by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) and the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA).
TAU FRUIT FLY
The agencies expanded the Zeugodacus tau fruit fly quarantine in the Stevenson Ranch area of Los Angeles County. The action was in response to the confirmed detections of 36 adult flies from various trapping sites in the Stevenson Ranch area by CDFA between Sept. 1 and Sept. 29; all were from traps in residential areas. The Stevenson Ranch area quarantine increased by 10 square miles to 110 square miles. There is no commercial agriculture in the quarantine area.
APHIS and CDFA established the original Tau fruit fly quarantine on July 11 following the confirmed detection of nine flies in the Stevenson Ranch area between June 7 and July 6, and expanded the quarantine on Aug. 15 following detections of additional flies.
ORIENTAL FRUIT FLY
On Oct. 3, APHIS and CDFA expanded the OFF (Bactrocera dorsalis) quarantine in San Bernadino and Riverside counties. This action is in response to the confirmed detections of 72 adult flies from various trapping sites in the Redlands area by CDFA between Sept. 28 and Oct. 3; all were from traps in residential areas. The Redlands area quarantine increased by 10 square miles to 112 square miles. There are approximately 1,200 acres of commercial agricultural production in the quarantine area.
APHIS and CDFA established the original OFF quarantine on Sept. 27 following the confirmed detection of eight flies in the Redlands area between Sept. 18 and Sept. 23.
ACTIONS AGAINST PESTS
For both the Tau fruit fly and the Oriental fruit fly, APHIS is applying safeguarding measures and restrictions on the interstate movement or entry into foreign trade of regulated articles from the area to prevent the spread of the pests to non-infested areas of the United States. APHIS is working with CDFA and the agricultural commissioners of San Bernadino, Riverside and Los Angeles counties to respond to these detections following program guidelines for survey, treatment and regulatory actions.
MORE INFORMATION
The expansion of these quarantines is reflected on the APHIS fruit fly website, which contains a description of all current federal fruit fly quarantine areas.
For additional information on the fruit fly quarantines, contact Fruit Fly National Policy Manager Richard Johnson at 301-851-2109 or richard.n.johnson@usda.gov.
Source: USDA APHIS
Share this Post
Sponsored Content