Ground Spraying for Medflies Planned in Oceanside

State and county agriculture officials plan to start spraying pesticide this week over a 120-acre area because of a feared Mediterranean fruit fly infestation.

Ground crews will spray a malathion bait within a 220-yard radius of each of two traps where Medflies were found in southern Oceanside, said San Diego Agricultural Commissioner Kathleen Thuner.

The program will include spot spraying of all trees and bushes between 5 feet and 10 feet tall in an area roughly nine blocks by five blocks, said state entomologist and project supervisor Brian Taylor.

The bait will be comprised of about 20 percent malathion pesticide mixed with a sticky insect food. It poses no danger to people or pets but fruit that has been sprayed shouldn’t be eaten for three days and needs to be washed before eating, Thuner said.

The last time malathion was applied in San Diego County was in 1989, when it was sprayed from the sky over El Cajon to eradicate Mexican fruit flies. There are no plans for aerial spraying in Oceanside, said Thuner.

An immature female Medfly was found in a trap Nov. 27 and a mature female was found nearby Nov. 16, officials said, signaling the possibility of a small infestation.

The Medfly is one of California’s most destructive pests, threatening millions of dollars of fruit and vegetable crops as well as back yard gardens, Thuner said.

Those discoveries also has prompted county agriculture officials to work with the U.S. Department of Agriculture to establish a quarantine area.

Residents within those boundaries, which haven’t been determined yet, will be asked not to take any fruit or vegetables they grow out of the quarantine area, Thunder said.