Country: United States

Title: Anastrepha ludens (Mexican fruit fly) – Removal of Quarantined Area in Willacy County, Texas – United States

Contact:
Wayne Burnett, Domestic Coordinator, Fruit Fly Exclusion and Detection Programs, 301) 734-4387

Report: On March 27, 2008, the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) designated portions of Willacy County, Texas, as Mexfly-quarantined areas and applied restrictions on the interstate movement of regulated articles from that area in order to prevent the spread of Mexfly to non-infested areas of the United States. Further detection of Mexflies caused the expansion of the quarantine area on April 7, 2008. Since that time, APHIS has worked cooperatively with the Texas Department of Agriculture to eradicate the transient population of Mexfly from that area through various population control actions, including the release of sterile Mexflies and the application of foliar bait sprays.

Eradication was concluded after sufficient time passed without finding any additional Mexflies in the area. Specifically, an intensified fruit fly trap surveillance system was deployed and monitored for three life cycles, calculated through a modeling process specific for Mexfly.

This action is effective immediately. This change to the quarantine area will be reflected on the following designated website, which contains a description of all the current Federal fruit fly quarantine areas:

http://www.aphis.usda.gov/plant_health/plant_pest_info/fruit_flies/index.shtml  

Under IPPC standards, Anastrepha ludens is considered to be a pest that is absent: eradicated from Willacy County, Texas in the United States.
 

Posted Date: Aug. 20, 2008, 9 a.m.