Oriental fruit fly eradicated from Sacramento area after quarantine, officials say
The oriental fruit fly has been eradicated from the Sacramento area about nine months after an infestation by the invasive species prompted a quarantine, California Department of Food and Agriculture officials announced last week.
The oriental fruit fly had been spotted near the Lemon Hill community, leading to a 123-square-mile quarantine in Sacramento and Yolo counties, the Department of Food and Agriculture said in a news release.
A total of 16 flies – one female and 15 male – were detected, most of them at residences near Stockton Boulevard and Elder Creek Road, according to statements by Sacramento County last year.
State and county agricultural offices used “male attractant”-based pesticides across hundreds of bait stations, and the insect was declared eradicated in the area as of last Wednesday, according to the news release.
The outbreak was reported last August, and led some of Sacramento’s outdoor farmers markets to implement plastic tents to protect against the pest.
Oriental fruit flies do not pose a threat to humans, but the females lay eggs inside fruit. The eggs then turn into maggots, which ruin the fruit.
Under the quarantine, residents in the affected area were urged not to move, share or sell their fruits and vegetables, but rather consume them on site.
