ORIENTAL FRUIT FLY QUARANTINE IN PORTIONS OF SACRAMENTO, SAN BERNARDINO, AND RIVERSIDE COUNTIES

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SACRAMENTO, October 6, 2023 – Portions of Sacramento, San Bernardino, and Riverside counties have been placed under quarantine for the Oriental fruit fly following the detection of multiple flies in those regions. 
 
In Sacramento County, detections in and around the city of Rancho Cordova have resulted in a quarantine zone covering 106 square miles, bordered on the north by Madison Ave. in the community of Foothill Farms; on the south by Elder Creek Road; on the west by 28th St. in Sacramento; and on the east by Douglas Road near Sunrise Blvd. 
 
In San Bernardino and Riverside counties, detections in and around the city of Redlands have resulted in a quarantine zone covering 112 square miles, bordered on the north by the San Bernardino National Forest; on the south by Highway 60; on the west by Mountain View Avenue and Redlands Boulevard in Loma Linda; and on the east by Wildwood Canyon.  
 
A link to both quarantine maps may be found here: www.cdfa.ca.gov/plant/off/regulation.html
 
The Oriental fruit fly is known to target over 230 different fruit, vegetable, and plant commodities. California crops at risk include pome and stone fruits, citrus, dates, avocados, and many vegetables, particularly tomatoes and peppers.  Damage occurs when the female fruit fly lays her eggs inside the fruit.  The eggs hatch into maggots, which tunnel through the flesh of the fruit, making it unfit for consumption.  
 
To prevent the spread of oriental fruit flies through homegrown fruits and vegetables, residents living in the quarantine area are urged not to move those items from their property.  However, they may be consumed or processed (i.e., juiced, frozen, cooked, or ground in the garbage disposal) on the property where they were picked or disposed of by double bagging and placing in the regular trash, not green waste.
 
Following the principles of Integrated Pest Management (IPM), agricultural officials use the “male attractant” technique as the mainstay of the eradication effort for this invasive species.  This approach has successfully eliminated dozens of fruit fly infestations in California.  Trained workers squirt a small patch of fruit fly attractant mixed with a very small dose of an organic pesticide, Spinosad, approximately 8-10 feet off the ground on street trees and similar surfaces; male fruit flies are attracted to the mixture and perish after consuming it. The male attractant treatment program is being carried out over an area that extends 1.5 miles from each site where the oriental fruit flies were trapped.  
 
While fruit flies and other invasive species that threaten California’s crops and natural environment are sometimes detected in agricultural areas, the vast majority are found in urban and suburban communities.  The most common pathway for these pests to enter the state is by “hitchhiking” on fruits and vegetables brought back illegally by travelers as they return from infested regions of the world, or in produce from other countries sent to California. 
 
The Oriental fruit fly is widespread throughout much of the mainland of southern Asia and neighboring islands, including Sri Lanka and Taiwan, and it has invaded other areas, most notably Africa and Hawaii. 
 
Residents with questions about the project may call CDFA’s Pest Hotline at 1-800-491-1899.  Additional information may be found here: www.cdfa.ca.gov/plant/off.

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