Removal of Mediterranean Fruit Fly (Ceratitis capitata) Quarantine Area in Arleta, Los Angeles County, California.

 

FOR INFORMATION AND ACTION

DA-2017-22

June 21, 2017

 

 

Subject:           Removal of Mediterranean Fruit Fly (Ceratitis capitata) Quarantine Area in Arleta, Los Angeles County, California.

 

To:                   State and Territory Agricultural Regulatory Officials

                  

Effective June 2, 2017, the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) removed the Arleta area of Los Angeles County, California, from a Mediterranean fruit fly (Medfly) quarantine. As a result, there are no additional Medfly quarantines in California.

 

On November 19, 2016, APHIS implemented the Medfly quarantine in the Arleta area of Los Angeles County, California. The quarantine restricted the interstate movement of regulated articles from that area to prevent the spread of the Medfly to non-infested areas of the United States. Since then, APHIS cooperated with the California Department of Food and Agriculture and the Los Angeles County Agriculture Commissioner’s office to eradicate the transient Medfly population. Control actions included high density trapping, fruit removal, sterile insect technique, regulatory quarantine measures, and foliar bait sprays near the detection sites.

 

APHIS declared eradication after three Medfly life-cycles elapsed with negative detections in this area. The following designated website contains a description of the current federal fruit fly quarantine areas:

 

http://www.aphis.usda.gov/plant_health/plant_pest_info/fruit_flies/index.shtml

 

For additional information on the removal of the Medfly quarantine areas, you may contact the APHIS Exotic Fruit Fly Policy Manager John Stewart at (919) 855-7426.

 

 

 

Osama El-Lissy

Deputy Administrator

Plant Protection and Quarantine