Country: United States

Title: Mexican fruit fly, Anastrepha ludens, Removal of Quarantined Area in Brooks County, Texas - United States

Contact:
Wayne Burnett, APHIS Exotic Fruit Fly Director, Fruit Fly Exclusion and Detection Programs, (301) 734-4387

Report: On May 5, 2009, the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) designated portions of Brooks County, Texas, as a Mexican fruit fly (Mexfly)-quarantined area 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. 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 August 3, 2009. 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 now absent: pest eradicated from Brooks County, Texas in the United States.
 

Posted Date: Aug. 4, 2009, 9 a.m.