Fruit fly threat

Press, 16 August 1980, Page 14

Fruit fly threat

By

JOHN HUTCHISON

in San Francisco

A tiny fly has brought disaster to farmers . in Santa- Clara County, and threatens to cost California agriculture $lOOO million. ■ ■ It’is the Mediterranean fruit fly, long a menace in California and discovered recently in Santa Clara County, south-east of San (Francisco. .The/ county, once devoted almost nntirely to fruit and vege- ■ tables, still, has substantial farming, but . has been ,

almost overwhelmed by .urbanisation. It is about the size of Waipawa or, Ashley counties. The Mediterranean fruit fly has. plagued crops ■ throughout the world .since its emergence from Morocco,long ago and it has been fought before' in North America. Its recent ■ ■ detection in Santa ; Clara County jangled nerves and ' set' off;- alarms throughout California, which promptly ' clapped a quarantine - on

shipments of produce from . the infested area. The ban was followed . quickly by. restrictions by. national' authorities and. by ; neighbouring ; Mexico', which has had its own . troubles with -the ; fly on earlier .-occasions. Japan is said' to be considering an . embargo,' on ’ ’California ■ fruit.' ;< , ’7 J '"- ; Farms ...and residential gardens are being; sprayed ’ in the . affected area, but the mauf hope of stamping out the insect,— half, the size of ah ordinary, house-. fly — is a ' biological measure. Millions of specially bred' flies are being released daily., When they breed with the wild: flies, reproduction fails. At is' the larval stage, from eggs - laid in. the flesh ■of the.- developing fruit, ' which. i§ '. detrimental to the produce. California has for many years tried to prevent travellers from bringing in fresh .'fruit which .can carry pests, but there are always visitors ' or returnees who ignore or evade the inspections at airports and border stations. There is speculation that undetected contraband from Hawaii caused the present crisis. ■ ' The quarantines now imposed affect all fresh. California produce not accompanied by ■ certificates of origins outside the Santa Clara , area. Produce grown in the area may be sold- and consumed only locally.