Single Medfly Discovered in Riverside

Southern California’s two-month reprieve from the Mediterranean fruit fly ended Wednesday as agricultural officials reported the trapping of a single Medfly in a back yard sapote tree in Riverside.

The unmated female fly was found Monday and is the first discovery in Southern California since a single fly was found Aug. 3 in the Orange County city of Brea.

Riverside County Agricultural Commissioner Jim Wallace said no aerial pesticide spraying is planned, but the situation could change if more Medflies are found nearby.

“It’s really not that big a problem at this moment,” Wallace said, “but it only takes one fly or one larvae to start spraying again.”

The Riverside find comes just as the state’s controversial, 15-month battle against the pest--which began with the discovery of a single Medfly near Dodger Stadium--is nearing an end.

Since the end of July, no aerial pesticide spraying has occurred in Southern California. Last week marked the final release of sterile Medflies used to breed its wild kin out of existence.

Roy Cunningham, chairman of the state Medfly Science Advisory Panel, said the nine miles separating the newest find from an infestation in Woodcrest this summer suggests the latest discovery is probably an isolated catch and not a harbinger of new outbreaks.

“There’s always concern, but my inclination is that unless we find a big breeding population, I don’t think there’s any connection,” Cunningham said.