Millions Of Fruit Flies To Be Dropped On LA

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.

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California Department of Food and Agriculture

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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.

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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.

California’s been at war with the fly for more than 40 years.

If you suspect you may have an infestation, you can call the state’s pest hotline at (800) 491-1899, or visit their website.