The Oriental fruit fly (OFFor Bactrocera dorsalis) quarantine in San Bernardino and Riverside counties in California was expanded in October and November by federal and state agriculture authorities. The actions were taken on Oct. 12, Nov. 3, Nov. 9 and Nov. 17 by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) and the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA).
This action is in response to the confirmed detections of more than 540 additional adult flies from various trapping sites in Redlands and the neighboring localities of Calimesa, Colton, Highland, Loma Linda, Mentone, Moreno Valley, San Bernardino and Yucaipa. All detections were from traps in residential areas. As a result of these detections, the Redlands area quarantine increased by 243 square miles to 355 square miles. There are approximately 2,000 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. The agencies first expanded the quarantine on Oct. 3.
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 OFF to noninfested areas of the United States. APHIS is working with CDFA and the agricultural commissioners of San Bernardino and Riverside counties to respond to these detections following program guidelines for survey, treatment and regulatory actions.
The expansion of this quarantine area is reflected on the APHIS fruit fly website, which contains a description of all current federal fruit fly quarantine areas. APHIS will publish a notice of these changes in the Federal Register.
Learn more here about OFF quarantines in California.
Additional information on the quarantine area may be obtained from APHIS Fruit Fly National Policy Manager Richard Johnson at 301-851-2109 or richard.n.johnson@usda.gov.
Source: APHIS
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