Fruit fly discovery prompts Calif. eradication plan

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LOMA LINDA, Calif. -- The discovery of two Oriental fruit flies in Loma Linda on Friday and Sunday has prompted state and county officials to launch an emergency eradication plan."Basically, what we have is the very early signs of an infestation," said John Gardner, San Bernardino County agricultural commissioner. "It's a very serious pest with a very large host range."Potential fruit fly infestations are taken seriously because the pests are known to attack more than 230 kinds of plants, fruits and vegetables, including oranges, avocados, grapes and plums. Left unchecked, fruit fly infestations can have a major economic impact."The larvae of the fruit fly are what actually cause the damage because they bore into the fruits and essentially cause them to rot," Gardner said. "But we're lucky in the sense that this particular fly is relatively easy to eradicate."A 9-square-mile area has been designated as the eradication boundary, said Jay Van Rein, spokesman for the California Department of Food and Agriculture.Fruit-fly traps laden with protein bait will be placed high on tree trunks, utility poles and other structures within 1.5 miles of where the two fruit flies were trapped. Treatments are applied in two-week intervals for a minimum of four applications until the fruit flies are eradicated, Van Rein said.The state has not announced a quarantine, a step sometimes taken as a precaution against widespread infestation. Quarantines are typically necessary only in cases when eight or more male fruit flies or pregnant female fruit flies are discovered.In September 2006, a pregnant fruit fly found in northern Rialto caused a quarantine of 65 square miles from eastern Rancho Cucamonga to western San Bernardino.E-mail Michael Perrault at mperrault(at)PE.com(Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service, www.scrippsnews.com.)