Country: United States

Title: Bactrocera dorsalis (Oriental fruit fly) - Establishment of a Quarantine Area in Los Angeles County, California

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

Report: The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) confirmed the detection of an Oriental fruit fly (OFF) population in the Pasadena/San Marino area of Los Angeles County, California. Effective August 9, 2010, APHIS is designating portions of Los Angeles County as an OFF-quarantine area and is applying restrictions on the interstate movement of regulated articles from that area. These actions are necessary to prevent the spread of OFF to noninfested areas of the United States.

Between July 20 and July 26, 2010, two mated adult female OFFs and 3 adult Male OFFs were detected in a fruit fly trap placed on residential properties in the Pasadena/San Marino area of Los Angeles County, California. APHIS, in cooperation with the California Department of Food and Agriculture and the Los Angeles County Agricultural Division, confirmed the detection. The detection triggered the establishment of this quarantine area, which encompasses approximately 89 square miles of Los Angeles County. The quarantine area is mostly residential with minimal commercial host production.

Fruit fly traps have been deployed at protocol levels to conduct a delimitation survey surrounding the detection sites. The population control treatment, known as the male annihilation technique (MAT), is being conducted in the area surrounding the detection site. MAT makes use of small amounts of an attractant (methyl eugenol), a pesticide (Naled), and a thickening agent (Min-U-Gel) to lure the male flies to bait stations, where they are killed upon feeding. The Naled/lure mixture is applied to utility poles, street trees, and other unpainted surfaces (such as fences) using pressurized tree marking guns at a density of 600 bait stations per square mile. Spinosad foliar bait spray treatments are being applied to all host trees within 200 meters of the detection site of the mated females at 7-10 day intervals.

This action is effective as of August 9, 2010. This new quarantine area has been added to the APHIS website. To see the current list of Federal fruit fly quarantine areas, please copy and paste the following link into your Web browser:

http://www.aphis.usda.gov/plant_health/plant_pest_info/fruit_flies/index.shtml  

Under IPPC standards, Bactrocera dorsalis is considered to be transient, actionable, and under eradication in the United States.
 

Posted Date: Aug. 12, 2010, 9 a.m.