California Ag Network

Tag: California Citrus Pest & Disease Prevention Program

  • Fruit Fly Quarantines Lifted in Contra Costa & Los Angeles Counties

    California Citrus Pest & Disease Prevention Program — The California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) has officially declared an end to the Tau fruit fly quarantine in Los Angeles County, and an end to the Oriental fruit fly quarantine in Contra Costa County following the successful eradication of the invasive pests.

    Tau Fruit Fly Quarantine

    The Tau fruit fly quarantine, which was established in the Santa Clarita area of Los Angeles County, was the first-ever quarantine for the Tau fruit fly in the Western Hemisphere. It encompassed the city of Santa Clarita and surrounding areas in parts of Stevenson Ranch, Newhall, Castaic Junction, Oat Mountain and Del Valle.

    Thanks to the diligent efforts of Santa Clarita area residents, local agricultural officials, the Los Angeles County Department of Agricultural Commissioner/Weights and Measures, and officials from CDFA and the United States Department of Agriculture, the invasive pest has been successfully eradicated from the area as of June 28.

    “Following one of the largest statewide invasive fruit fly populations we’ve seen in a number of years in California, we’re incredibly proud that we’ve been able to successfully achieve eradication of the Tau fruit fly,” said Victoria Hornbaker, director of CDFA’s Plant Health and Pest Prevention Services Division. “The lifting of this quarantine proves that our efforts are working, and the responsiveness and cooperation of residents across California and our partners is critical to that success.”

    During the quarantine, crops that are hosts for the fruit fly — which include more than 300 varieties, such as citrus and other fruits, nuts, vegetables and berries — were not allowed to be moved from the properties where they were grown. Commercial crops were required to meet stringent treatment or processing standards before being harvested or moved.

    Oriental Fruit Fly Quarantine

    The announcement comes 10 months after officials first detected populations of the Oriental fruit fly in the area. This destructive pest has been eliminated through the cooperation and diligence of Contra Costa County residents and local agricultural officials, the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA), working in coordination with the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Contra Costa County Agricultural Commissioner.

    “We’re pleased to report this is the third Oriental fruit fly quarantine lifted in California this year,” said Victoria Hornbaker, director of CDFA’s Plant Health and Pest Prevention Services Division. “These recent successes prove that through the cooperation of residents across the state and our partners, eradication of invasive species is possible.”

    While several fruit fly quarantines have now been lifted in California, additional quarantines remain and still threaten the state’s natural environment, agriculture and economy. To review all active quarantine maps, please visit CAFruitFly.com.

    When at home, residents are encouraged to stay vigilant for signs of invasive pests. To help prevent any future introductions of invasive species, residents should follow these guidelines:

    • Cooperate with agricultural officials and allow them access to your garden to place traps, inspect plants, conduct necessary treatments or remove potentially infested produce.
    • Determine if your property is located within an active quarantine area by visiting CAFruitFly.com.
    • Buy fruit trees and vegetable plants from licensed California nurseries. Purchasing agricultural goods from uncertified sources can spread invasive pests. Source your plants locally and responsibly. To find a licensed nursery near you, visit CDFA’s Directory of Licensed Nurseries.
    • Inspect your garden for signs of invasive fruit flies or maggots and report any findings to CDFA at 1-800-491-1899 or your local county agricultural commissioner’s office.
    • When entering the United States from another country, avoid bringing agricultural products — including fruits or vegetables. Help us protect our agricultural and natural resources and California’s unique biodiversity from invasive fruit flies — please Don’t Pack a Pest (dontpackapest.com) when traveling or mailing/receiving packages.

    To learn more about invasive species and how to protect the county’s fruits and vegetables, visit CAFruitFly.com or contracosta.ca.gov.

  • Citrus Industry Guide to Fruit Fly Quarantines

    Over the last several months, a variety of invasive fruit fly detections have triggered quarantines across numerous counties in California. These fruit fly species – including Mediterranean fruit fly, Mexican fruit fly, Oriental fruit fly, Tau fruit fly and Queensland fruit fly – are considered not established in California. Quarantines and their associated regulatory actions are implemented to stop the artificial spread of these pests and thus avoid additional negative impacts to growers and the state’s agriculture and natural resources.

    The Citrus Pest and Disease Prevention Division is working to provide boots-on-the-ground assistance to the California Department of Food and Agriculture’s Plant Health and Pest Prevention Services Division as they lead efforts in eradicating the fruit flies by conducting larval surveys, host fruit removal, delimitation trapping, treatment activities and regulatory actions across the state.

    Fruit fly quarantines are established after a certain number of adult flies are captured within three miles of one another and within one life cycle. Fruit fly quarantines are also established when detections of reproductive populations such as larva, pupae or mated flies are found in an area. These thresholds have already been met in certain areas of the state, including the following areas:

    Counties Currently Impacted by Fruit Fly Quarantines:

    • Oriental fruit fly: Contra Costa, Riverside, Sacramento, San Bernardino and Santa Clara Counties
    • Mediterranean fruit fly: Los Angeles County
    • Tau fruit fly: Los Angeles County
    • Queensland fruit fly: Los Angeles and Ventura Counties

    To review the quarantine maps, regulatory information, pest profile information for various fruit flies and additional resources, please visit https://www.cdfa.ca.gov/plant/PDEP/treatment/index.html

    FAQ: Bulk Citrus Movement Requirements in Fruit Fly Quarantine Zones

    Treatment information & maps can be found here:https://www.cdfa.ca.gov/plant/PDEP/treatment/treatment_maps.html

    Quarantine information on fruit fly species and other invasive pests can be found here: https://www.cdfa.ca.gov/plant/pe/InteriorExclusion/quarantine.html

    Frequently Asked Questions:

    How is a fruit fly quarantine triggered?
    A quarantine is triggered by the number of adult flies captured within three miles of each other and in one life cycle:

    • Mediterranean, Melon, Caribbean Fruit Fly – 2
    • Mexican Fruit Fly – 5
    • Oriental, Guava, Peach Fruit Fly – 6 Rural or 8 Urban
    • All other adult invasive fruit flies (e.g., Queensland Fruit Fly) – 2

    OR

    • SINGLE detection of larva, mated female, or pupae indicating a breeding population.

    How large is the fruit fly quarantine zone(s)?

    There are three main areas to consider within the fruit fly quarantine zone, and each has different requirements for harvest/bulk citrus movement:

    1. The property where the detection occurred
    2. Core Area: A one-half mile radius around the detection
    3. Quarantine Area: A 4.5-mile radius around the detection.

    What steps must growers in these three areas of the quarantine zone follow in order to harvest/move their bulk citrus?
    For properties where the detection occurred and properties within the core area (0.5-mile radius around the detection site), this citrus is not eligible for packing, but may be stored, processed and consumed on the growing site. If properties within the core areas have no fruit fly or life stages detected on the growing grounds, fruit can only be moved for juicing, processing, freezing, etc. under compliance and safeguarding with approval of the receiving county ag commissioner.

    Growers in the quarantine zone, but outside of the core area, may receive regular pre-harvest treatments with approved insecticides, applied at recommended intervals, starting a sufficient time before harvest (but not less than 30 days before harvest and a minimum of 4 treatments) to allow for development of fruit fly egg and larvae. Determination of the pre-harvest treatment window is based on the degree day model for the specific fruit fly. Once treatment has begun, it must continue through the harvest period.

    Have additional questions? Please reach out to your local County Agricultural Commissioner. — California Citrus Pest & Disease Prevention Program

  • Detection of Deadly Citrus Disease Triggers Quarantine in Ventura County; First HLB Detection in County

    The California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) has declared a quarantine in Ventura County following the detection of the citrus disease Huanglongbing (HLB), or citrus greening, in two citrus trees on one residential property in the city of Santa Paula. These detections are the first HLB-positive trees in Ventura County. CDFA is working with the United States Department of Agriculture and the Ventura County Agricultural Commissioner on this cooperative project.

    The disease was detected in plant material taken from one orange and one lime tree in a residential neighborhood in the Santa Paula area of Ventura County. These detections follow the confirmation of a Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus (CLas)-positive Asian citrus psyllid (ACP) sample taken from the find site.

    CDFA crews will be working to remove and dispose of the infected trees and are conducting a mandatory survey of every property within 250 meters of the detection site. After the survey is complete, all host plants in the 250-meter area around the detection site will be treated to suppress the disease vector, the ACP. By taking these steps, a critical reservoir of the disease and its vectors will be removed, which is essential to protect the surrounding citrus from this deadly disease.

    These detections establish a mandatory five-mile citrus HLB quarantine area around the find site. The quarantine area is bordered on the north by Ojai Road; on the south by E Los Angeles Avenue; on the west by Wells Road; and on the east by Balcom Canyon Road. The quarantine prohibits the sale of all host nursery stock and the movement of all host plants or plant parts within a five-mile radius of the finds. The quarantine applies to residents and commercial operations alike. These detections will also place parts of Ventura County into Bulk Citrus Regional Quarantine Zone 6, which will require any commercial citrus growers to apply an additional mitigation step(s) to move fruit within or from this zone. Production and retail nurseries within the five-mile quarantine are being contacted by CDFA and will be issued a hold notice preventing the sale of nursery stock host plants. Visit CDFA’s Map and Quarantines page for more details.

    Growers in Ventura County should contact Grower Liaisons Sandra Zwaal at szwaal2@gmail.com or Cressida Silvers at cressidasb@gmail.com for additional information about these detections. In response to the HLB detections in Santa Paula, a grower meeting was held on Wednesday, Oct. 4. Stay tuned to Citrus Insider for details or reach out to the Grower Liaisons for more information.

    An HLB quarantine area currently exists in parts of Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino and San Diego counties, where more than 6,300 residential trees have tested positive for the disease and have been removed. — California Citrus Pest & Disease Prevention Program