The Region - News from Dec. 25, 1986

Despite 1,350 traps spread over 81 square miles, the only Mediterranean fruit fly that has been found so far was the initial one discovered Dec. 4 in the orange tree of a private home in West Los Angeles, Deputy Agricultural Commissioner Bill Edwards said. The county official said the stepped-up search will continue for six to eight months, the time it would take for three generations of fruit flies to be produced. The Medfly attacks 256 varieties of fruits and vegetables, including citrus crops, that generate more than a third of the state’s $14-billion annual farm income. During a 1980-82 infestation, the state spent $96 million to eradicate the pest.