Sterile Mediterranean Fruit Flies Released
Agriculture officials Monday began releasing sterile Mediterranean fruit flies in a 103-square-mile area of the San Gabriel Valley in an effort to breed the crop-threatening pest out of existence.
“We expect to release 32 million a week by ground and 26 million by air for a total of 58 million sterile Medflies a week,” said Leon Spaugy, county agriculture commissioner.
Spaugy said the releases in and around the communities of Valinda, Whittier and Baldwin Park are expected to continue through the middle of February.
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