Country: United States

Title: Ceratitis capitata (Mediterranean fruit fly) – Second Expansion of a Quarantine Area in San Diego County, California - United States

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

Report: On February 19, 2009, the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) expanded the designated Mediterranean fruit fly (Medfly) quarantine area in the El Cajon area of San Diego County, California, to now include parts of the Spring Valley area of San Diego County, California. On November 25, 2008, APHIS designated portions of San Diego County as a Medfly quarantine area after confirming the finding of a Medfly population and applied restrictions on the interstate movement of regulated articles from that area. On December 22, 2008, APHIS first expanded the designated Medfly quarantine area in the El Cajon area of San Diego County, California. These actions are necessary to prevent the spread of Medfly to noninfested areas of the United States.

From November 7 through February 5, 2009, APHIS, in cooperation with the California Department of Food and Agriculture and the San Diego County Agricultural Commissioner, confirmed the detection of 22 adult Medflies on 16 separate residential properties in the El Cajon/Spring Valley area. Also, two Medfly larvae were detected at one separate residential property and one residential property on which adults were also detected in the El Cajon area. These detections triggered the establishment and expansions of this quarantine area. The quarantine area has been expanded by 59 square miles and now the boundary encompasses a total of approximately 198 square miles of San Diego County mostly comprised of residential housing with a few commercial avocado, orange, and grape producers.

Fruit fly traps have been deployed at protocol levels to conduct a delimitation survey surrounding the detection sites. The population control treatment, known as sterile insect technique (SIT), is being conducted in two separate areas including a 50.60-square-mile area surrounding detection sites in the El Cajon area and a 9-square-mile area surrounding the detection site in the Spring Valley area. SIT is an eradicative tool which consists of the aerial release of sterile male Medflies to inundate the detected wild population to reduce reproduction. Sterile male Medflies are released at rate of 250,000 per square mile per week. The weekly release of sterile male Medflies will continue through two projected Medfly life cycles in the El Cajon/Spring Valley area from the last detection date. In addition to SIT, spinosad foliar bait spray treatments are being applied to all host trees within 200 meters of the detection sites at 7 to 10 day intervals. Spinosad foliar bait sprays will continue through one projected Medfly life cycle from the last detection date.

This establishment of this quarantine area is 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, Ceratitis capitata is considered to be a pest that is transient, actionable, and under eradication in the United States.
 

Posted Date: Feb. 25, 2009, 9 a.m.