California Department of Food and Agriculture is conducting a mandatory effort in Redlands to prevent a possible fruit fly infestation. Over 2,000 residences are required to remove all host fruit, including citrus and other fruits, to prevent the infestation from spreading to other areas of the state.
The California Department of Food and Agriculture is currently conducting a mandatory effort in Redlands to prevent a potential infestation of the Oriental fruit fly. Over 2,000 homes must remove all host fruit, including citrus and other fruits, to prevent the infestation from spreading to other areas of the state. The trees will remain in place, but the fruits will be removed. The Oriental fruit fly can infest crops such as apples, apricots, avocados, bell peppers, figs, grapes, grapefruit, lemons, limes, melons, nectarine, oranges, peaches, pears, persimmon, plums, pomegranates, tangerines, tomato, walnut.
The affected area is north and south of I-10, with a northern boundary of E. Highland Ave, a western boundary at the intersection of Garden and Elizabeth streets, an eastern boundary of Alta Vista Dr., and a southern boundary of Silver Leaf Ct.
If left unchecked, the Oriental fruit fly could cause billions of dollars worth of losses annually to over 230 crops, including nuts, vegetables, and berries, in addition to residential and commercial citrus. Residents have been advised not to remove fruit from their trees themselves and may not move produce from their property to help reduce the risk of the fly, larvae, and maggots spreading.
The Oriental fruit fly is a pest first found in California in 1960 and has been reintroduced yearly since 1966. It attacks a wide range of crops. Female flies lay their eggs in groups of 3 to 30 under the host’s skin, and a single female can lay over 1,000 eggs in her lifetime. The maggots feed on the fruit’s pulp, shedding their skins twice and emerging through exit holes in around ten days. They then drop from the fruit and burrow two to three centimeters into the soil to pupate. The adults emerge in 10 to 12 days, and with an advanced infestation, breeding is continuous with several annual generations. Adults live for about 90 days, flying up to 30 miles to find food and sites to lay eggs.
This mandatory effort will enable the California Department of Food and Agriculture, the United States Department of Agriculture, and the local agricultural commissioners’ office to break the life cycle of the invasive fly and prevent it from becoming permanently established. The residents in the Redlands area have been strongly urged to cooperate with the removal process, which is expected to continue until late February.
