Mediterranean fruit fly quarantine expanded

The new quarantine area in California’s Alameda and Santa Clara includes 54 acres of winegrapes, olives, avocados, tomatoes, peppers and eggplants.

Mediterranean fruit fly
Mediterranean fruit fly
(Photo courtesy of the USDA/Preston Keres)

The USDA Animal Plant and Health Inspection Service and the California Department of Food and Agriculture have expanded the quarantine for the Mediterranean fruit fly in Alameda and Santa Clara in California.

APHIS said the quarantine expansion is in response to confirmed detections Oct. 7-15 of 22 wild female Medflies with 14 mated and 12 male wild Medflies found in residential areas.

The latest detections in the quarantine area increased by 38 square miles to 121 square miles and contains 54 acres of commercial winegrapes, olives, avocados, tomatoes, peppers and eggplant, APHIS said.

The federal and state agencies established the quarantine following the detection of a mated wild female Medfly in a trap in a residential orange tree in Fremont in Alameda County and later expanded the quarantine following detections of additional flies.

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