Medfly Found; Spraying Zone to Be Widened
State agriculture officials said Thursday that they have discovered a fertile Mediterranean fruit fly in Monrovia and will add nearly 20 square miles to the area to be sprayed with the pesticide malathion next month.
A mated female fly was found in an area north of Foothill Boulevard near Buena Vista Street, which was just outside the spray zone in the Monrovia area, said Don Henry, spokesman for the Medfly eradication project. The area has been added to the spray zone that is to be treated with malathion Jan. 11.
The discovery brings the spray zone area to nearly 300 square miles. The find also broke a two-week period of relative calm in the Medfly battle, during which few discoveries were made and agriculture officials began to predict that the infestation would soon be under control.
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