Two Oriental fruit flies have been discovered in California’s Orange County — less than two weeks after a quarantine was lifted in the Anaheim area.
The flies were detected in Laguna Beach. The California Department of Food and Agriculture planned to start treating a 7.5-square mile area for the pest in the second week of July, according to a news release.
The CDFA and the Orange County Agricultural Commissioner recently ended a 75-square mile quarantine around Anaheim begun in late 2011. At the time, a dozen flies were found in local traps.
The agencies declared their eradication June 27. The new findings are considered a separate outbreak. Laguna Beach is about 27 miles from Anaheim.
“Our system to detect invasive species like the Oriental fruit fly is working well, and according to design,” CDFA Secretary Karen Ross said in the release. “The key is to move quickly and take action before the pests can cause widespread damage.”
The fly can affect more than 230 fruit, vegetable and plant commodities.
CDFA’s treatment mixes male fly attractant with a small amount of pesticide. The recent eradication was one of many dating back to the 1970s.
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