Country: United States

Title: Mediterranean Fruit Fly, Ceratitis capitata - Establishment of a New Quarantine Area in the Boca Raton/Delray Beach Area of Palm Beach County, Florida

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

Report: On July 7, 2010, the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) established a new Mediterranean fruit fly (Medfly) quarantine area, effective immediately, in the Boca Raton/Delray Beach area of Palm Beach County, Florida, following the confirmation of Medflies detected in that area. APHIS is applying restrictions on the interstate movement of regulated articles from the quarantine area. These actions are necessary in order to prevent the spread of Medfly to noninfested areas of the United States.

From June 2, 2010 through July 3, 2010, forty-nine adult males, eight adult females, and eleven larva of Medfly were detected on residential properties in the Boca Raton/Delray Beach area of Palm Beach County, Florida. APHIS, in cooperation with the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, is responding to this confirmed Medfly finding. This confirmed finding triggered the establishment of the new quarantine area, which encompasses approximately 83-square miles of Palm Beach County.

Fruit fly traps have been deployed at protocol levels to conduct a delimitation survey surrounding all Medfly detection sites. Spinosad foliar bait spray treatments are being applied to all host trees surrounding each detection site at 7-10 day intervals and a diazinon soil drench is also being applied under host trees surrounding detection sites. As a treatment to control Medfly populations within the new quarantine area, Sterile Insect Technique (SIT) is being conducted over the entire quarantine area. 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 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, Ceratitis capitata is considered to be a pest that is transient, actionable, and under eradication in the United States.
 

Posted Date: July 19, 2010, 9 a.m.