Federal and Texas agriculture officials have established some new Mexican fruit fly (Anastrepha ludens; Mexfly) quarantines in Texas and expanded others. The dates and actions taken by the U.S. Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (USDA APHIS) and the Texas Department of Agriculture (TDA) were:
- March 26, establishment of a quarantine centered in Harlingen, Cameron County, in response to the confirmed detections from March 12–20 of six wild mated female Mexflies from traps in citrus trees in residential areas and commercial groves. The quarantine encompasses approximately 302 square miles of Cameron, Hidalgo and Willacy counties. There are 1,348 acres of commercial citrus in the quarantine area.
- April 3, establishment of a quarantine in La Rosita, Starr County, in response to the confirmed detection on March 22 of a wild mated female Mexfly in an orange tree in a residential area. The quarantine encompasses approximately 48 square miles of Starr County. There is no commercial agriculture in the quarantine area.
- April 3, expansion of a quarantine centered in Sebastian, Willacy County, in response to the confirmed detection on March 21 of a wild mated female Mexfly from a trap in a sour orange tree in a residential area. As a result of this detection, the quarantine increased by 20 square miles to 91 square miles. There are 44 acres of commercial citrus in the quarantine area.
- April 3, expansion of a quarantine in Brownsville, Cameron County, in response to the confirmed detections between March 21–22 of two wild mated female Mexflies from traps in sour orange trees in residential areas. As a result of these detections, the quarantine increased by 28 square miles to 99 square miles. There are 112 acres of commercial citrus in the quarantine area.
- April 16, establishment of a Mexfly quarantine in Bayview, Cameron County, in response to the confirmed detection on April 4 of a wild mated female Mexfly from a trap in a grapefruit tree in a commercial grove. The quarantine encompasses approximately 71 square miles of Cameron County. There are 298 acres of commercial citrus in the quarantine area.
APHIS is applying safeguarding measures and restrictions on the interstate movement of regulated articles to prevent the spread of Mexfly to non-infested areas of the United States, as well as to prevent the entry of these fruit flies into foreign trade. APHIS is working with TDA to eradicate transient Mexfly populations following program guidelines for survey, treatment and regulatory actions.
The establishment and expansion of these quarantine areas is reflected on the APHIS exotic fruit flies website, which contains a description of all current federal fruit fly quarantine areas.
Additional information on the Mexfly quarantine areas is available from APHIS Fruit Fly National Policy Manager Richard Johnson at richard.n.johnson@usda.gov or 301-851-2109.
Source: USDA APHIS
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