Spraying for Oriental Fruit Flies to Begin
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County agricultural workers today will begin applying insecticide to a 15-square-mile area in the South Bay, after the discovery last week of two Oriental fruit flies, one in Hawthorne and the other in Lawndale.
The fruit fly, which is considered a potential threat to agriculture, was successfully eradicated by the same measures last year after being detected in four parts of the county, said E. Leon Spaugy, Los Angeles County’s agricultural commissioner.
Workers will be applying a sex lure, methyl eugenol, with an insecticide, Naled, to utility poles and trees. Boundaries for the eradication effort are Artesia Boulevard on the south, Western Avenue on the east, Imperial Highway on the north and Aviation Boulevard on the west.
Additional traps have been placed and will be inspected daily to determine how widespread the infestation might be, Spaugy said.
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