Country: United States

Title: Mexican fruit fly, Anastrepha ludens, eradicated in Texas, US

Contact:
John Stewart, APHIS’ National Fruit Fly Policy Manager, at (919) 855-7426

Report: Effective September 16, 2013, the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) and the Texas Department of Agriculture (TDA) removed the last Mexican fruit fly regulated area from the Lower Rio Grande Valley of Texas. As a result, there are no remaining Mexican fruit fly regulated areas in Texas.

On May 2, 2013 APHIS, in conjunction with TDA, designated portions of Willacy County, Texas, as a fruit fly regulated area restricting the interstate movement of regulated articles from that area in order to prevent the spread of Mexican fruit fly to noninfested areas of the United States.

Subsequently, APHIS detected additional Mexican fruit flies in Hidalgo and Cameron County, Texas, ultimately leading to additional regulated areas totaling 334 square miles. Since that time, APHIS has worked cooperatively with TDA and the Texas citrus industry to eradicate the transient Mexfly populations through various control actions per program protocols. Accordingly, APHIS is removing the regulated areas after they concluded the necessary three lifecycles.

This removal of the regulated areas is 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/quarantine.shtml

Under IPPC Standards, Anastrepha ludens is considered to be a pest that is now absent: pest eradicated in the United States.
 

Posted Date: Nov. 26, 2013, 9 a.m.