Photo by Susan Ellis, USDA APHIS Plant Protection and Quarantine, Bugwood.org
Agriculture officials on Dec. 30 expanded the Peñitas Mexican fruit fly (Mexfly) quarantine in Hidalgo County, Texas. The U.S. Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) and the Texas Department of Agriculture (TDA) took the action.
APHIS and TDA expanded the Peñitas quarantine following the Dec. 22 confirmed detection of one Mexfly larva in a tangerine collected on a residential property in Peñitas. This action expanded the quarantine by 2.96 square miles and includes 100.41 acres of additional commercial citrus. The amended quarantine encompasses 56.14 square miles with 323.68 acres of commercial citrus.
The Peñitas Mexfly quarantine was established on Dec. 12 in response to the confirmed detection on Dec. 4 of one larva in sour orange collected on a residential property in Peñitas. Also in December, the La Feria Mexfly quarantine in Texas was expanded; learn more here.
Mexfly quarantines in Texas have been expanded, reduced or established at least 14 times in the past year.
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 this transient fruit fly population following program guidelines for survey, treatment and regulatory actions.
The APHIS Exotic Fruit Flies website contains descriptions and maps of all current federal fruit fly quarantine areas. APHIS will publish a notice of this change in the Federal Register.
Source: APHIS
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