Country: United States

Title: Bactrocera dorsalis (Oriental fruit fly) – Establishment of a Quarantine Area in Los Angeles County, California - United States

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

Report: The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) confirmed the finding of an Oriental fruit fly population in the Lakewood area of Los Angeles County, California. APHIS is designating portions of Los Angeles County as an Oriental fruit fly-quarantine area and is applying restrictions on the interstate movement of regulated articles from that area. These actions are necessary to prevent the spread of Oriental fruit fly to non-infested areas of the United States.

From August 13 through August 18, 2008, APHIS, in cooperation with the California Department of Food and Agriculture and the Los Angeles County Agricultural Commissioner, confirmed the detection of eight male Oriental fruit flies on four separate residential properties in the Lakewood area. These detections triggered the establishment of this quarantine area. The quarantine area boundary encompasses approximately 74 square miles of Los Angeles County. This is a mostly residential area and there is minimal commercial host production in the quarantined area.

Fruit fly traps have been deployed at protocol levels to conduct a delimitation survey surrounding the detection sites. The population control treatment, known as the male annihilation technique (MAT), is being conducted in an 8.5-square-mile area. MAT makes use of small amounts of an attractant (methyl eugenol), a pesticide (Naled), and a thickening agent (Min-U-Gel) to lure the male flies in a population to bait stations. The flies are killed when they feed at the stations. The Naled/lure mixture is applied to utility poles, street trees, and other unpainted surfaces (such as fences) using pressurized tree marking guns at a density of 600 bait stations per square mile.

This action is effective immediately. This establishment of this 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, Bactrocera dorsalis is considered to be transient, actionable, and under eradication in the United States.
 

Posted Date: Aug. 28, 2008, 9 a.m.