ORIENTAL FRUIT FLY QUARANTINE IN ORANGE COUNTY LIFTED

SACRAMENTO – The California Department of Food and Agriculture is announcing the removal of a 116-square mile quarantine in Orange County for the Oriental fruit fly.

The quarantine, which went into effect on July 13, 2004, was centered in the Santa Ana area and also included the communities of Garden Grove, Anaheim, Orange, Villa Park, Cowan Heights, Lemon Heights, and Tustin. There is a very small amount of production agriculture in the region. The quarantine largely applied to residential and commercial areas. The Oriental fruit fly adversely affects crops in production agriculture, residential fruit trees and backyard gardens. 

“When we declared the quarantine, we pledged to eradicate this pest as quickly as possible,” said CDFA Secretary A.G. Kawamura. “I’d like to thank local residents, producers in the area, and our government agency partners for their cooperation, which was imperative to our success.”

The Oriental fruit fly threatens more than 230 agricultural products. The female fly lays eggs inside of many varieties of fruits and vegetables. The eggs hatch into maggots that tunnel through the flesh of fruit, making it unfit for consumption. 

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