ORIENTAL FRUIT FLY QUARANTINE DECLARED IN SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY

SACRAMENTO, September 12, 2006  - A 65 square mile quarantine for the Oriental fruit fly has been declared in San Bernardino County, in the Rialto area, following the detection of a mated female fly.

The western boundary of the quarantine zone is East Avenue and Interstate 210. The northern and eastern boundaries are one and the same:  where Palm Ave. meets the boundary of the San Bernardino National Forest, northeast of Interstate 215. The southern boundary is Arrow Blvd.

An eradication program in the quarantine zone is already underway and is relying largely on the “male annihilation” technique, which consists of a minute amount of pesticide, mixed with fruit fly attractant and squirted in small quantities on trees and utility poles.  The treatment will not occur on private property.  Male fruit flies are drawn to the mixture and are killed by it.  CDFA has been using the male annihilation technique for more than 30 years. It has a 100 percent success rate in California, never failing to eradicate a fruit fly infestation.

Agricultural shipments from the quarantine zone will be limited by specific regulations designed to minimize movement of potentially infested commodities. In addition, people moving through the quarantine zone are urged not to remove fruits and vegetables from the area.  

The Oriental fruit fly can infest over 230 types of fruits and vegetables and, like many invasive species, poses a severe threat to the food supply and the environment.

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