An infestation of oriental fruit flies has struck Morgan Hill, with official word coming from the Santa Clara County Department of Agriculture Thursday afternoon.
“It’s a very serious pest and can be very destructive,” said Kevin O’Day the county’s agriculture commissoner.
The California Secretary of Agriculture is expected to release a procolmation of emergency that will spur the eradication process. O’Day said it’s not a quarantine – wherein local crops could not be moved – but an infestation that he predicts will be solved with a very specific eradication process.
Three flies were found in the area of Tennant Avenue and Monterey Road in Morgan Hill – the first was found in an insect detection trap (part of the state’s early detection program) Monday and confirmed by the state’s lab in Sacramento Tuesday; a second fly was found Tuesday after more traps were laid; and the third fly was located Wednesday.
The oriental fruit fly is not native to the contentital United States. It has the ability to infest more than 230 host plants from peaches to plums to peppers to cucumbers, said O’Day.
O’Day said that infestations have occurred in California over the last 30 years and have been successfully wiped out before any critical damage. The fruit fly is typically found in urban areas, he said, because they “hitchhike” on fruit that is from an infested area such as Hawaii or the Phillipines.
The next step is for traps to be set in the area of Tennant and Monterey and several miles out.
“Every grower is always concerned and aware of invasive species, more so than the general public. Because of where Santa Clara County is, we have international travelers and trade and a population that is highly mobile, so we’re at risk for evasive species and hitchhiking pests,” O’Day said.
Check back for more details.
