Country: United States

Title: Bactrocera albistrigata (white striped fruit fly) – Removal of Quarantined Area in Los Angeles County, California

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

Report: The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has lifted its quarantine for white striped fruit fly (WSFF) from Los Angeles County, California, effective January 29, 2010.

On August 10, 2009, APHIS designated portions of Los Angeles County as fruit fly-quarantine area and applied restrictions on the interstate movement of regulated articles from that area in order to prevent the spread of WSFF to noninfested areas of the United States. Since that time, APHIS has worked cooperatively with the California Department of Food and Agriculture and the Los Angeles County Agricultural Commissioner to eradicate the transient population of WSFF from the area through various population control actions, including the application of male annihilation technique. Male annihilation involves the use of a high density of bait stations consisting of a male lure combined with an insecticide.

Eradication was concluded after sufficient time passed without finding additional WSFF 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 WSFF. Accordingly, the WSFF quarantine was lifted from Los Angeles County on January 29, 2010. This change to the 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, Bactrocera albistrigata is considered to be a pest that is absent: eradicated from the Los Angeles County, California in the United States.
 

Posted Date: Feb. 4, 2010, 9 a.m.