Time for the Big Medfly Rethink

Sometimes a seemingly intractable problem becomes less awesome if you step back and take a new look at it. That’s why it’s high time for state officials clinging to the current helicopter-bombardment strategy of eradicating the Medfly to rethink assumptions about the pest.

James R. Carey, a top entomologist selected as an adviser by the state Department of Food and Agriculture--that is to say, he is no wild-eyed extremist--is convinced, along with a few vocal others, that the current Medfly infestation is not the result of a recent invasion but a deep-rooted natural process that won’t ever end. Carey’s research indicates that the Medfly is endemic to parts of Los Angeles and Orange counties.

But judging by the belittling and defensive reaction at an Assembly malathion hearing Tuesday, one would think Carey had declared that the world was flat and motherhood a subversive idea. Agriculture officials and many legislators were unwilling to even consider the wisdom of the testimony of Carey and others recommending another look at the hard-charging “eradicate at all costs” philosophy. It’s true that many of his colleagues disagree, but shouldn’t the state at least further investigate his findings? Of course the implications of controlling an endemic Medfly population are awesome. But, as Carey said, “eventually you’ve got to belly up to the problem and deal with it head-on.” That attitude should apply to the state’s assumptions, too.

Another questionable “given” in the state’s equation is that the aerial malathion spraying so reviled by many residents will largely become a thing of the past by the end of spring. The state is depending on stepped-up production of more sterile Medflies, which breed with fertile flies in order to end reproduction. But if quality sterile pests are not available in the multimillions needed, the state must prepare itself for the question it does not want to ask: What then? The Southern California constituency for continued aerial spraying is fast evaporating, but there’s been precious little consideration given to perfecting the alternative of a ground-based application of the pesticide. The danger in putting all of your eggs in one basket, so to speak, is that they can all break at once, and leave quite a mess.