No (More) Flies on Us

More than a week has passed since the last sighting of Mediterranean fruit flies in Southern California.

Last Friday, officials launched an eradication program in La Jolla, where five males and one female were spotted, that will involve the release of 5.5 million sterile medflies per week for three months. A malathion and bait mixture will also be applied to host plants. Similar efforts are underway in Orange County after the discovery of medflies on backyard fruit trees in a residential area of Lake Forest.

“We’re relying a lot on citizens to not remove backyard fruit in the quarantine areas,” said Oscar Hidalgo, a spokesman for the California Department of Food and Agriculture. Among other prohibitions, he said, residents in affected zones should not take fruit from their trees into the office.

Medflies are one of the most destructive pests known to modern agriculture, attacking more than 250 varieties of fruits, nuts and vegetables. The pests lay their eggs in ripening fruit, making it unmarketable. If medflies become reestablished, the infestation could cost billions of dollars in lost crops and exports.

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Martha Groves can be reached by e-mail at martha.groves@latimes.com or by fax at (213) 473-2480.