The Region : Glendale Area Sprayed for Fruit Flies

An agricultural quarantine of Glendale and surrounding areas, including Burbank and northeast Los Angeles, is expected to be declared within days because of an infestation of Oriental fruit flies, Los Angeles County agricultural officials said. Meanwhile, emergency insecticide spraying has begun in neighborhoods in central Glendale. The proposed quarantine, which would cover about 81 square miles, would restrict transportation of fruit from nurseries, street vendors and backyard gardens. Officials said it should cause few problems, however, because there is little agriculture production in the area. The spraying area is much smaller, covering 11 square miles around infested traps. A mixture of an insecticide and a chemical to lure male flies has been sprayed on trees and utility poles. A larger infestation of Oriental fruit flies was recently found in Long Beach, and a quarantine was imposed there Sept. 30.