Country: United States

Title:

APHIS Establishes Mediterranean Fruit Fly and Queensland Fruit Fly Quarantines in California

Contact:
Richard Johnson, Fruit Fly National Policy Manager, at (301) 851-2109 or richard.n.johnson@usda.gov

Report:

On October 18, 2023, the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) and the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) established a Mediterranean fruit fly (Ceratitis capitata or Medfly) quarantine in Los Angeles County, and on October 19, established a Queensland Fruit Fly (Bactrocera tryoni; QFF) quarantine in Los Angeles and Ventura Counties in California.

The establishment of the Medfly quarantine is in response to the confirmed detection of two adult male Medfly in the Leimert Park area by CDFA on September 27, 2023, from a trap in a persimmon tree in a residential area. In cooperation with CDFA, APHIS is establishing a quarantine area, which encompasses approximately 69 square miles of Los Angeles County. There is no commercial agriculture in the quarantine area.

The establishment of the QFF quarantine is in response to the confirmed detections of two adult male QFF from sites in the city of Thousand Oaks in Ventura County by CDFA on August 23 and October 9, 2023, from traps in lemon trees in residential areas. In cooperation with CDFA, APHIS is establishing a quarantine area, which encompasses approximately 76 square miles of Ventura County and adjacent Los Angeles County. There are approximately 2,668 acres of commercial citrus, avocado and stone fruits in the quarantine area. This is the first ever quarantine for QFF in the United States.

APHIS is applying safeguarding measures and restrictions on the interstate movement or entry into foreign trade of regulated articles from the areas to prevent the spread of Medfly and QFF to non-infested areas of the United States. APHIS is working with CDFA and the Agricultural Commissioners of Los Angeles and Ventura Counties to respond to these detections following program guidelines for survey, treatment, and regulatory actions.

The establishment of these quarantine areas is reflected on the APHIS fruit fly website, which contains a description of all current federal fruit fly quarantine areas. APHIS will publish a notice of these changes in the Federal Register.

Under IPPC standards, Ceratitis capitata  is a transient pest under eradication that is present only in one area in California. Bactrocera tryoni  is a transient pest under eradication that is present only in one area in California. These species are not widely distributed and are under official control in the United States.

Posted Date: Nov. 8, 2023, 9:48 a.m.