Aussie Fruit Fly’s the Latest Worry for County’s Farmers
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San Diego County agriculture officials said Tuesday that it will be six months before they know for certain whether the Queensland fruit fly found in the La Mesa area last week represents an isolated case--or a danger to all of California’s vegetable and citrus crops.
County Agriculture Commissioner Kathleen Thuner said federal and state officials last week set up 225 fruit fly traps in addition to the more than 2,000 that are normally positioned throughout the county.
The brown and yellow housefly-sized pest targets more than 100 types of fruits and vegetables for destruction. Thuner said it is especially dangerous because it has the “potential for infesting all of the California commercial growing area.”
The commissioner said the discovery Oct. 29 was the first time the Queensland fly has been found in the United States. The fly normally inhabits Australia, Tahiti and parts of the South Pacific, she said.
County agriculture officials will continue to check the traps daily until Friday, when the traps will be checked once a week.
So far, no other fly has been found, Thuner said.
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