By Jamiel Lynch and Nouran Salahieh | CNN
An invasive fruit fly has led to the imposition of a quarantine in a 79-square-mile area of northern Los Angeles County. This marks the first-ever quarantine for this particular pest in the Western Hemisphere, as declared by state officials in California.
The reason behind the quarantine is the discovery of more than 20 Tau fruit flies in the Stevenson Ranch area near Santa Clarita. The California Department of Food and Agriculture, in a news release on July 25, confirmed that this prompted the quarantine.
According to the release, the Tau fruit fly is originally from Asia and is regarded as a “serious pest for agriculture and natural resources.”
This fruit fly has a yellow and black colored body with clear striped wings, measuring about 7mm in length. The female flies lay their eggs in various fruits and vegetables, including avocado, tomato, cucumber, citrus fruits, and melons. The larvae then tunnel through and consume the fruit, causing damage, as stated by the California Department of Food and Agriculture.
The introduction of the fly into the area is believed to have occurred through travelers bringing uninspected produce into the state, a common route for invasive species, according to the California Department of Food and Agriculture.
In contrast to the quarantine measures familiar to residents due to the Covid-19 pandemic, this quarantine specifically targets produce. Residents within the quarantine zone have been instructed not to transport any fruits or vegetables from their properties.
The California Department of Food and Agriculture stated, “They may be consumed or processed (i.e., juiced, frozen, cooked, or ground in the garbage disposal) at the property where they were picked. Otherwise, they should be disposed-of by double-bagging in plastic and placing the bags in a bin specifically for garbage.”
This is not the first time the Tau fruit fly has been detected in California. The initial sightings were in San Bernardino County in 2016, and since then, “3 reintroductions have been localized and successfully eradicated,” as mentioned on the agriculture agency’s website.
The state agency plans to cooperate with the US Department of Agriculture and local authorities to eliminate the Tau fruit fly and prevent its spread. Measures such as inspecting fruits and vegetables on properties within a 200-meter radius of the detections for fruit fly larvae will be undertaken by the state agriculture agency.
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