5th Valley Medfly Trapped; Release of Sterile Males Set

Another Mediterranean fruit fly has been trapped in the central San Fernando Valley, where state agricultural officials fought an infestation last week with an aerial spraying of pesticide and a quarantine of fruits and vegetables in a 62-square-mile area.

The discovery of the live insect in a trap Saturday on Darby Place in Reseda will not prompt another aerial spraying of the pesticide malathion, said Becky Jones, an entomologist with the state Department of Food and Agriculture.

A 16-square-mile area that included Northridge, Sepulveda and Reseda was sprayed with malathion July 25 after four Medflies were found.

Not a Surprise

“We weren’t really at all surprised to find another fly,” Jones said. “Sometimes, they turn up after spraying and sometimes they don’t.”

Jones said the Medfly found Saturday could have just emerged from its underground cocoon, thus escaping the malathion spraying. She said an entomologist from Sacramento will determine the developmental stage of the fly this week.

Medflies are considered a threat to the state’s multimillion agriculture industry because the females lay their eggs inside fruit and vegetables.

The fly trapped Saturday--the Valley’s fifth find since July 20--is believed to be male, Jones said. If its sex is confirmed in Sacramento this week, it will be the first male Medfly trapped in the current infestation.

Pink Flies Employed

Officials said they will proceed with the release of 20 million sterile male flies Tuesday and will follow with more until the sterile Medfly count in the cental Valley reaches 100 million to 300 million.

The tiny flies, dyed fluorescent pink, are intended to mate with their crop-destroying counterparts.