MEDFLY QUARANTINE SET FOR SAN JOSE

Quarantine area is 75-square mile

SACRAMENTO, Tuesday, October 16, 2007 –  The California Department of Food and Agriculture has established a 75-square mile quarantine zone in Santa Clara County, in the east San Jose area, following the detection of a Mediterranean fruit fly infestation.

To date, 7 wild Medflies have been detected in the area. The last  Medfly infestation in San Jose was detected in 2005.

The quarantine boundary is as follows: on the north, Old Piedmont Rd.; on the south, Blossom Hill Rd; on the west, State Highway 87 and I-880.; on the east, Quimby Rd. in Alum Rock Park. A link to the map is here. http://pi.cdfa.ca.gov/pqm/manual/MS_Word/medflysanjose.jpg

The Medfly can infest over 260 types of fruits and vegetables, causing severe impacts on California agricultural exports and backyard gardens. A permanent infestation would result in estimated annual losses of $1.3 billion to $1.8 billion.

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 quarantine requires that local residents not move home-grown fruits and vegetables from the property of origin. Residents may dispose of fruits and vegetables by double-bagging them and placing the bags in the garbage.

An eradication program for the Medfly is already underway, consisting of increased releases of sterile male flies in the area and ground treatments within a 200-meter radius of the finds, which is approximately one-eighth of a mile.