1990: A RETROSPECTIVE : MEDFLY WAR
After a 16-month aerial bombardment--which drew loud protests from residents worried about the possible ill effects of malathion--officials announced that they had eradicated the Mediterranean fruit fly from Southern California. However, questions persist as to whether the victory was total or hollow. Just two weeks after state and local officials finished their speeches, two more of the crop-destroying pests were found in San Bernardino County. “This is a revolting development,” stewed Los Angeles County Agricultural Commissioner E. Leon Spaugy.
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