Photo by Jeffrey W. Lotz, Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, Bugwood.org
Federal and state agriculture officials took several actions this month regarding Mexican fruit fly (Mexfly) quarantines in Texas. The U.S. Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (USDA APHIS) and the Texas Department of Agriculture (TDA) have:
- Established a Mexfly quarantine in Brownsville, Cameron County
- Amended the Sebastian Mexfly quarantine in Cameron, Hidalgo and Willacy counties
- Removed the Mexfly quarantine in Bayview, Cameron County
- Removed the Mexfly quarantine in Zapata, Zapata County
BROWNSVILLE
Establishment of the Brownsville quarantine is in response to the confirmed detection on July 26 of Mexfly larvae in citrus fruit on two residential properties. The quarantine area encompasses approximately 72 square miles and contains approximately 44 acres of commercial citrus.
SEBASTIAN
The expansion of the Sebastian quarantine in one area is in response to the confirmed detection on July 22 of Mexfly larvae in citrus fruit on a residential property in Lyford, Willacy County.
The quarantine was reduced in another area encompassing parts of Cameron, Hidalgo and Willacy counties after three generations elapsed since the date of the last detection in that area. As a result of these changes, USDA APHIS is reducing the quarantined area by 30 square miles to 144 square miles in Hidalgo and Willacy counties. There are 1,202 acres of commercial citrus in the quarantined area.
USDA APHIS and TDA established the quarantine on March 21 following the detection of a wild mated female Mexfly on March 13, and expanded the quarantine on April 3 and May 20 following the detections of additional flies.
BAYVIEW
Removal of the Bayview quarantine releases 71 square miles, including 298 acres of commercial citrus. USDA APHIS and TDA established the quarantine on April 16 following the detection of a wild mated female Mexfly on April 4. Release from quarantine occurred after three generations elapsed since this detection.
ZAPATA
Removal of the Zapata quarantine releases 39 square miles. There was no commercial agriculture in the quarantined area. USDA APHIS and TDA established the quarantine on March 11 following the detection of a wild mated female Mexfly on March 7. Subsequent larval detections extended the release date but did not expand the quarantine. Release from quarantine occurred after three generations elapsed since the last detection.
The changes to these quarantined areas are reflected on the APHIS exotic fruit flies website, which contains a description of all current federal fruit fly quarantined areas.
Source: USDA APHIS
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