Medfly Trapped 12 Miles From Other Infestations

In the first indication that this month’s Mediterranean fruit fly outbreak may not be confined to neighborhoods west of downtown Los Angeles, agricultural officials have trapped a female Medfly in San Gabriel, about 12 miles from the previous trappings.

The mature, unmated female fly was discovered Wednesday in a persimmon tree in the 200 block of West Main Street, officials announced Thursday. It was the sixth Medfly trapped this month, but the first outside a two-square-mile area encompassing portions of the Koreatown, Mid-City and Country Club Park neighborhoods. County agricultural officials said Thursday that they regard the new discovery as a separate outbreak, not as a widening of the Los Angeles infestation. State crews on Thursday began installing 1,000 traps near the San Gabriel discovery, and agricultural officials are scheduled to discuss today other possible responses with the state’s Medfly Science Advisory Panel.

Although no fruit quarantine has been set up in San Gabriel, agricultural officials urged residents to look for maggots in home-grown fruit and to report any findings to (818) 575-5469.