The mediterranean fruit fly is only one quarter inch in size, but it can be devastating to crops.
(
United States Department of Agriculture
)
Topline:
A pair of invasive Mediterranean fruit flies were discovered in Leimert Park. As they can quickly spread and damage California grown produce, a 69-square-mile area has been quarantined, pesticides will be sprayed on infected trees and millions of sterile fruit flies will be released to prevent the invaders from reproducing.
The biggest concern: If the fruit flies reproduce, they lay eggs on fruit and vegetables, and their larvae can destroy the produce, threatening the agricultural industry.
If you find flies: Call California’s pest hotline at (800) 491-1899.
All it took was the discovery of two, quarter-inch Mediterranean fruit flies in Leimert Park to kick off a state level response that now has 69 square miles of Los Angeles County under quarantine, all in an effort to limit the insects from spreading.
The quarantine is 69 square miles and it stretches from Inglewood to West Hollywood.
(
California Department of Food and Agriculture
)
Insecticides will be sprayed on potentially infected trees, and millions of sterile male fruit flies will be dropped via plane over a 9-square-mile area around where the two flies were discovered. The latter is an effort to prevent reproduction, as the larvae burrow into and damage produce, making them a threat to our agricultural industry.
“It’s air travel that’s bringing them here,” said Ken Pellman, spokesperson for Los Angeles County's Department of Agricultural Commissioner.
People often unwittingly bring them in on fruits and vegetables from out of state.
“If they spread, it makes it much more difficult for people to grow their own fruits and vegetables without a lot of pesticides. And then of course if they spread to commercial areas there’s going to be more pesticide use, lower yields. That’ll just drive the cost of produce up,” he said.
After the treatments are administered, traps in the area will be monitored, at least through next spring to make sure that all invasive fruit flies are gone.
The sterile flies are grown in Los Alamitos and are marked with a special coating that helps officials identify them.
