Country: United States

Title: Mexican Fruit Fly, Anastrepha ludens – Regulated area established in Willacy County, Texas

Contact:
John Stewart, Plant Protection and Quarantine National Fruit Fly Policy Manager, (919) 855-7426

Report: On May 2, 2013 the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) and the Texas Department of Agriculture (TDA) established a Mexican fruit fly (Mexfly) regulated area, effective immediately, in the San Perlita area of Willacy County, Texas. APHIS is applying restrictions on the interstate movement of regulated articles from the area. These actions are necessary in order to prevent the spread of Mexfly to non-infested areas of the United States.

On April 24, Mexfly larvae were confirmed from a property that had previously detected an adult female unmated Mexfly. Two additional larval sites were also detected on that same day in the 200 meter area surrounding the initial detection site. APHIS, in cooperation with TDA, is responding to this confirmed Mexican fruit fly larvae finding. This confirmed detection triggered the establishment of the new regulated area, which encompasses approximately 81-square miles of Willacy County. The regulated area is strictly residential and there are no commercial agriculture production areas in the quarantine zone.

Fruit fly traps have been deployed at protocol levels to conduct a delimitation survey surrounding all Mexfly detection sites. In order to control and eradicate the Mexfly populations within the new regulated area, APHIS is applying Spinosad foliar bait treatments per appropriate protocols and conducting Sterile Insect Technique (SIT) over the fruit fly hosts in the regulated area. SIT consists of ground and aerial release of sterile Mexflies into the detected wild Mexfly population in order to reduce reproduction.

The establishment of this regulated area will be reflected on the following designated website, which contains a description of all the current Federal fruit fly regulated areas:

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

Under IPPC Standards, Anastrepha ludens is considered to be a pest that is transient, actionable, and under eradication in Willacy County, Texas of the United States.
 

Posted Date: June 7, 2013, 9 a.m.