Country: United States

Title: Anastrepha ludens (Mexican Fruit Fly) - Removal of Quarantine Areas in Rangerville Cameron County and McAllen, Mission and La Villa, Hidalgo, County, Texas

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

Report:

Earlier this year in Texas, the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) and the Texas Department of Agriculture (TDA) removed the Mexican fruit fly quarantine areas in Rangerville, Cameron County (on August 6) and McAllen, Mission, and La Villa in Hidalgo County (on October 3).

On March 31, APHIS and the TDA established a Mexican fruit fly (mexfly) regulated area in the McAllen area of Hidalgo County, Texas. Subsequent mexfly detections in the Mission and La Villa areas of Hidalgo County resulted in the expansion of the regulated area. Additionally, a mated female mexfly was detected and then confirmed on April 3, 2015 in the Rangerville area of Cameron County. To prevent the spread of mexfly to noninfested areas of the United States, APHIS and the TDA established mexfly quarantines in Hidalgo and Cameron County to restrict the interstate movement of regulated articles from those areas. Since that time, APHIS has cooperated with the Texas Department of Agriculture and the Texas Citrus Industry to eradicate the transient mexfly populations through various control actions per program protocols. Accordingly, APHIS has removed the quarantine from those areas after those areas concluded the necessary three lifecycles.

This removal of the quarantine areas is 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/ff-quarantine

Under IPPC Standards, Anastrepha ludens is considered to be a pest that is absent: eradicated in Rangerville Cameron County and McAllen, Mission and La Villa, Hidalgo, County, Texas.

Posted Date: Dec. 10, 2015, 9 a.m.