The U.S. Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (USDA/APHIS) in June established a host list of regulated articles for the Queensland fruit fly (QFF). The pest, which has been found in California, is native to Australia and is not endemic to the United States.
QFF attacks more than 120 plant species, including numerous commercial varieties of fruits and vegetables. Citrus is on the regulated host list and includes the following varieties:
- Egyptian lime, Indian lime, Key lime, lime, Mexican lime, sour lime and West Indian lime
- Bitter orange, Seville orange and sour orange
- Blood orange, navel, navel orange, orange, sweet orange and Valencia orange
- Kumquat
- Persian lime and Tahiti lime
- Lemon, jaune orange, sweet lemon, sweet lime, dwarf lemon, Meyer lemon, Canton lemon, mandarin lime, Otaheite orange, Rangpur lime, red lemon and Sylhet lime
- Pomelo, pumelo, pummelo and shaddock
- King of Siam, king orange and tangor
- Grapefruit
- Mandarin, mandarin orange, Swatow orange and tangerine
- Orangequat and procimequat
The host list was established due to the ongoing QFF quarantine in California, the first for this species in the Western Hemisphere. USDA APHIS will use this list for domestic federal regulations when establishing quarantines for this pest. The agency will regulate the interstate movement of QFF regulated articles from all quarantined areas in the United States.
The QFF host list, the current QFF quarantine area, and the federal order are located on the USDA APHIS exotic fruit flies webpage.
Additional information on the Fruit Fly Exclusion and Detection program is available from Richard Johnson, USDA APHIS national policy manager, by email at richard.n.johnson@usda.gov or by phone at 301-851-2109.
Learn more about fruit flies in California here.
Source: USDA APHIS
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