Invasive Fruit Fly Species Leads To Agriculture Quarantine For Some Of Orange County

KCAL News, CBS Los Angeles

November 8, 2024

Some of Orange County has been placed under a quarantine due to an invasive fruit fly species, according to the California Department of Food and Agriculture, which told residents in affected areas to not move homegrown fruits and vegetables from their properties.

State officials announced Wednesday that eight oriental fruit flies have been detected in and around the cities of Santa Ana and Garden Grove. To keep the pest from spreading further, officials issued a quarantine zone that spans 87 miles — bordered on the north by Anaheim, on the south by John Wayne Airport in the Santa Ana area, on the east by State Route 55 and on the west near Huntington Beach.

The pest threatens many crops in California including citrus, tomatoes, avocadoes, cherries, peaches, apricots, plums and figs. Not eradicating the species in the state would cost an estimated $44 to $176 million in crop losses, according to state agriculture officials, with the fly causing rotting and spoiling of the produce as larvae tunnel through the flesh of the fruits and vegetables.

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