The U.S. Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) and the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) in September took quarantine actions regarding Mediterranean fruit fly (Medfly) and Oriental fruit fly (OFF) in California.
MEDFLY
On Sept. 15, APHIS and CDFA expanded the Santa Clara Medfly quarantine in Santa Clara County. The action was in response to the confirmed detection on Sept. 2 of one wild female Medfly from a trap in an orange tree on a residential property in the city of San Jose. This action expanded the quarantine by 11 square miles and included 7 acres of commercial agriculture.
On Sept. 23, the agencies further expanded the Santa Clara Medfly quarantine. This was in response to the confirmed detection on Sept. 5 of one wild male Medfly from a trap in a pear tree on a residential property in the city of San Jose. This action expanded the quarantine by 40 square miles and included 14 acres of commercial agriculture. The amended quarantine encompasses 169 square miles with 43 acres of commercial agriculture, including grape, oranges, pepper, stone fruit and tomato.
ORIENTAL FRUIT FLY
On Sept. 19, APHIS and CDFA established an OFF quarantine in Riverside and San Bernardino counties, designated the Jurupa Valley quarantine. The action followed the confirmed detections of six male OFF in traps at four different locations, including three residential properties and one commercial winery. The quarantine encompasses 131 square miles.
APHIS is applying safeguarding measures and restrictions on the interstate movement of regulated articles to prevent the spread of fruit flies 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 CDFA and the Agricultural Commissioners of Riverside, San Bernardino and Santa Clara counties to respond to these detections following program guidelines for survey, treatment and regulatory actions.
The APHIS Exotic Fruit Flies web page contains descriptions and maps of all current federal fruit fly quarantine areas.
Source: APHIS
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