The Region : County Cuts Back Hunt for Melon Flies

County agricultural officials are scaling back their search for the destructive melon fly. “No more flies have been found,” Deputy Director Bill Edwards said nearly a week after a lone female melon fly was discovered in a trap in Pasadena. Melon flies attack both fruit and vegetables and are seen as a major threat to California’s $1-billion-a-year agricultural industry. Los Angeles County officials swamped a 169-square-mile area of Pasadena and surrounding communities with bait traps to attract mature male melon flies. The traps were inspected daily, but in the absence of any more pests, the checks will be made weekly for up to five months, Edwards said.