Country: United States

Title: Mediterranean Fruit Fly, Ceratitis capitata – Establishment of a New Quarantine Area in the Pompano Beach Area of Broward County, Florida

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

Report: On February 25, 2011, the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) established a new Mediterranean fruit fly (Medfly) quarantine area, effective immediately, in the Pompano Beach area of Broward County, Florida. 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.

On January 31, 2011, two adult male Medflies were detected on a single residential property in the Pompano Beach area of Broward 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 48-square miles of Broward 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 the detection site at 7-10 day intervals in conjunction with the removal of any existing fruit. 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 a 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

APHIS anticipates following this action with the publication of a notice in the Federal Register informing the public of this change.

Under IPPC standards, Ceratitis capitata is considered to be a pest that is transient, actionable, and under eradication in the United States.
 

Posted Date: March 4, 2011, 9 a.m.