Nine months after it began, a quarantine to limit the spread of the Oriental fruit fly has been lifted.
The California Department of Food and Agriculture, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Riverside County Agricultural Commissioner and San Bernardino County Agricultural Commissioner made the announcement Thursday, Aug. 15. The quarantine has also been lifted in Los Angeles, Ventura, Santa Clara, Sacramento and Contra Costa counties.
“This was an unprecedented situation for California to experience this many active invasive fruit fly quarantines at one time,” Victoria Hornbaker, director of CDFA’s Plant Health and Pest Prevention Services Division, is quoted as saying in a joint news release. “The response to these destructive invasive species was an enormous effort, and thanks to the cooperation of residents, the agricultural industry, and our government partners at the local and federal levels, we’re incredibly proud to have successfully lifted all active invasive fruit fly quarantines in the state of California.”
In the Inland Empire, the quarantine was imposed in November on Redlands, Yucaipa, Highland, Mentone and neighboring areas in San Bernardino County. In Riverside County, the quarantine included Moreno Valley, Riverside, Calimesa, Beaumont and the area around Lake Perris. At that time, Riverside County had found 19 Oriental fruit flies, while San Bernardino County was looking at nearly 500.
In response, ripened fruit was stripped from thousands of orange trees in Redlands. The fruit flies lay their eggs in ripened citrus fruit.
Officials warned Thursday that fruit growers should remain aware of the threat of new fruit fly infestations and recommended citrus tree owners to inspect their trees for signs of invasive fruit flies or maggots and report any findings to the CDFA at 800-491-1899.
More about the fruit fly quarantine
Oriental fruit fly quarantine declared in Inland Empire
Why California agriculture regulators are stripping Redlands citrus trees of their fruit
Eloise Gomez Reyes introduces Assembly bill in response to Redlands citrus infestation
What you need to know about the oriental fruit fly quarantine
Lawmakers seek $45 million in aid for citrus growers impacted by fruit fly quarantine
Newsom offers $22.1 million to fight fruit fly problem in Redlands, statewide
