USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service and the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) expanded the Santa Clara Mediterranean fruit fly (Ceratitis capitata; Medfly) quarantine in California. The quarantine for this pest includes portions of Alameda and Santa Clara counties; however, this action only expands portions in Santa Clara County.
On Oct. 30, APHIS and CDFA expanded the Santa Clara Medfly quarantine in response to confirmed detections on Oct. 21 of two wild mated female Medflies from a trap in a fig tree located on a residential property in the city of San Jose in Santa Clara County.
APHIS and CDFA say this action expanded the quarantine by less than one square mile and did not include any additional commercial agriculture.
On Nov. 3, APHIS and CDFA added seven additional square miles to the Santa Clara Medfly quarantine due to confirmed detections on Oct. 24 of one wild unmated female from a trap in a fig tree and one mated female Medfly from a trap in a persimmon tree. Both trees were located on residental property in the city of San Jose in Santa Clara County. APHIS and CDFA say this expanded quarantine does not include any additional commercial agriculture acreage.
The agencies say the amended quarantine encompasses 205 square miles with 47 acres of commercial agriculture, including grape, olive, orange, pepper, stone fruit and tomato.
APHIS says it has applied safeguarding measures and restrictions on the interstate movement of regulated articles to prevent the spread of Medfly to non-infested areas of the U.S., as well as to prevent the entry of these fruit flies into foreign trade. APHIS says it is working with CDFA and the Agricultural Commissioners of Alameda and Santa Clara counties to respond to these detections following program guidelines for survey, treatment and regulatory actions.
APHIS says its Exotic Fruit Flies website contains descriptions and maps of all current Federal fruit fly quarantine areas. APHIS will publish a notice of this change in the Federal Register.
