Country: United States

Title: Mediterranean Fruit Fly, Ceratitis capitata – Establishment of a new quarantine in the Fallbrook Area of San Diego County and in the Santa Monica Area of Los Angeles County, California

Contact:
Wayne Burnett, APHIS Exotic Fruit Fly Director, (301) 734-6553

Report:

The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) established a new Mediterranean fruit fly (Medfly) quarantine in the Fallbrook area of San Diego County and the Santa Monica area of Los Angeles County, California, following the confirmation of Medflies detected in those areas. APHIS is applying restrictions on the interstate movement of regulated articles from the quarantined areas. These actions are necessary in order to prevent the spread of Medfly to noninfested areas of the United States. 

 

From October 29, 2009 through November 5, 2009, three adult males, one adult mated female, and 68 larva of Medfly were detected on residential properties in the Fallbrook area of San Diego, California. APHIS, in cooperation with the California Department of Food and Agriculture and the San Diego County Department of Agriculture, is responding to this confirmed Medfly finding. This confirmed finding triggered the establishment of the new quarantine area, which encompasses approximately 79-square miles of San Diego County. There are approximately 12,000 acres of commercial production of host commodities within the new quarantine area, including avocados and citrus, small amounts of acreage in persimmons, grapes, tomatoes, olives and cherimoyas.

 

On October 28, 2009, two adult mated female Medflies and one adult unmated female Medfly were detected on a residential property in the Santa Monica area of Los Angeles, California. APHIS, in cooperation with the California Department of Food and Agriculture and the Los Angeles Agricultural Commissioner, is responding to this confirmed Medfly finding. This confirmed finding triggered the establishment of the new quarantine area, which encompasses approximately 65-square miles of Los Angeles County. The quarantine area includes a residential area of Los Angeles county, with minimal to no commercial-host production.

 

Fruit fly traps have been deployed at protocol levels to conduct a delimitation survey surrounding the new Medfly detection site. Spinosad foliar bait spray treatments are being applied to all host trees within 200 meters of the detection sites at 7-10 day intervals. As a treatment to control Medfly populations within the new quarantine areas, Sterile Insect Technique (SIT) is being conducted in 8.35-square-mile (San Diego area) and 9-square-mile (Los Angeles area) treatment areas surrounding the detection sites. SIT is an eradicative tool, which consists of the massive aerial release of sterile male Medflies into the detected wild population in order to reduce reproduction. Sterile male Medflies are released at rate of 250,000-per-square-mile each week. The weekly release of sterile Medflies will continue in the San Diego and Los Angeles areas through two projected Medfly lifecycles, beginning with date of the latest detection.

 

This action became effective on November 20, 2009. The establishment of these quarantine areas 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, Ceratitis capitata is considered to be a pest that is transient, actionable, and under eradication.
 

Posted Date: Dec. 2, 2009, 9 a.m.