The Region : Melon Fly Calls Abound

Dozens of residents, believing that they had spotted crop-destroying melon flies, have been calling Los Angeles County agriculture officials, but there have been no new pest finds. John Manning, chief deputy county agriculture commissioner, said about 50 calls came through a special hot line set up after discovery of a single female melon fly in Pasadena. “They’ve been reporting flies to us, but most of them turn out to be common houseflies,” he said. Workers found the infant fly in a peach tree and set an additional 1,000 traps in the area. Manning said another find would not be expected for at least several more days. He said it would take that long for other infant flies to sexually mature and become attracted to the baited traps. Officials say melon flies, believed to be from Hawaii, are as potentially destructive as the Mediterranean, Mexican and Oriental fruit flies that have infested areas of the county in recent years.