CDFA has put a quarantine is in place in the Pasadena/San Marino area of Los Angeles County, where invasive Oriental fruit flies have been detected.
The quarantine measures 89 square miles and is bordered on the west by Figueroa St; on the south by Interstate 10; on the east by The Big Santa Anita Wash; and on the north by an imaginary line in the foothills. Additional information about this quarantine, including a map, is available at: http://www.cdfa.ca.gov/phpps/PE/InteriorExclusion/off_quarantine.html
The movement of host fruits and plants grown in the quarantine areas is restricted. Residents living within the boundaries are asked not to move host plants and materials from their property.
An Oriental fruit fly. ARS photo by Scott Bauer
"All of us must work together to carry out an effective program," says CDFA Secretary A.G. Kawamura. "We urge home gardeners to comply with these measures by consuming homegrown produce at home and not moving it from their property. This will protect their fellow gardeners and help ensure that the infestation will not spread to nearby areas where it could affect California's food supply."
While fruit flies and other pests threaten California's crops, the vast majority of them are detected in urban and suburban areas. The most common pathway for these pests to enter the state is by "hitchhiking" in fruits and vegetables brought back illegally by travelers as they return from infested regions around the world.
The Oriental fruit fly is widespread throughout much of the mainland of Southern Asia and neighboring islands including Sri Lanka and Taiwan. It is also found in Hawaii.
Treatment of the Oriental fruit fly primarily relies upon a process known as "male attractant," in which workers squirt a small patch of fly attractant mixed with a very small dose of pesticide approximately 8-10 feet off the ground to light poles, street trees and similar surfaces. Male flies are attracted to the mixture and die after consuming it.
The treatment is non-intrusive and has repeatedly proven successful over many years. Treatments will be repeated at two-week intervals for two life cycles beyond the last fly find, with a minimum of four applications.
A detailed map of the treatment area is available online at:
http://www.cdfa.ca.gov/phpps/PDEP/treatment/treatment_maps.html
Residents with questions may call the department's Pest Hotline at 1-800-491-1899.