Country: United States

Title: Mediterranean Fruit Fly (Ceratitis capitata) – Removal of Quarantine Area in the Los Angeles area of Los Angeles County, California

Contact:
John Stewart, Exotic Fruit Fly Policy Manager, at 919-855-7426.

Report:

Effective August 28, 2014, the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has removed the quarantine area for Mediterranean fruit fly (medfly) in Los Angeles, California. As a result, there are no additional medfly quarantines in California.

To prevent the spread of medfly to noninfested areas of the United States, APHIS initiated a quarantine (DA-2014-24 dated March 12, 2014) that restrict the interstate movement of regulated articles from the City of Los Angeles, Los Angeles County, California. APHIS, the California Department of Food and Agriculture, and the Los Angeles County Agriculture Commissioner’s office used various control actions (high density trapping, fruit removal, control measures, regulatory quarantine measures, and foliar bait sprays near the detection sites) to eradicate the transient medfly population. Eradication concluded after three life cycles passed without finding additional medflies in this area. Accordingly, APHIS removed the interstate medfly quarantine in Los Angeles on August 28, 2014.

Information about the removal of this quarantine area and a description of all the current federal fruit fly quarantine areas may be found at:

http://www.aphis.usda.gov/plant-health/ff-quarantine

Under IPPC standards, Ceratitis capitata is considered to be a pest that is eradicated from California and the United States.
 

Posted Date: Oct. 28, 2014, 9 a.m.