State Confirms Oriental Fruit Fly Found in Pasadena

State agriculture scientists have confirmed that a fruit fly found in a trap in Pasadena is an Oriental fruit fly, a destructive pest that lays eggs in 150 varieties of fruit and produce.

The fly, which was found in a trap Thursday, was identified in Sacramento, said Gera Curry, a spokeswoman for the state Department of Food and Agriculture.

The discovery prompted Los Angeles County agriculture workers to set out more traps to see if more Oriental fruit flies can be found, said Bob Donley, a deputy director in the Los Angeles County Agricultural Commissioner’s officer.

Like the Mediterranean and Mexican fruit flies, the Oriental fruit fly poses a threat to California’s multibillion-dollar agricultural industry. Two eradication efforts are continuing against Medfly infestations in West Los Angeles and the San Fernando Valley.

Curry said state agriculture officials are continuing their eradication efforts in the Hacienda Heights area of East Los Angeles, where two Oriental fruit flies were discovered on Oct. 10.