LOCAL : County Completes Air Raid on San Fernando Valley Medflies
Los Angeles County agriculture officials completed an aerial assault earlier today against the Mediterranean fruit fly, spraying a 12-square-mile area of the San Fernando Valley with the pesticide malathion.
Two helicopters began spraying portions of North Hollywood, Studio City, Burbank and Toluca Lake about 9 p.m. Monday and continued until 1 a.m. today, said Bill Edwards, chief deputy with the Los Angeles County agricultural commissioner’s office.
The discovery of a pregnant female Medfly in North Hollywood on Nov. 14 prompted the spraying, Edwards said.
Pesticides have already been sprayed over more than 100 square miles of Los Angeles County in the continuing battle against the Medfly, which poses a serious threat to California’s $16-billion agriculture industry.
Aerial sprayings in the Orange County city of Brea are planned for later this month following the discovery of a pregnant Medfly there. (Story, B1.)
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