Florida
Florida agriculture officials work to eliminate invasive fruit fly spotted in Pinellas County
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – Officers in Florida are shifting rapidly to remove an invasive and unique fruit fly noticed in Pinellas County.
Folks dwelling in St. Petersburg and Pinellas Park are urged to take warning with any fruits or greens rising in your property. The purpose is to cease the pest earlier than it spreads by means of the state to our commercially grown crops.
The Oriental Fruit Fly could also be tiny, however it may possibly trigger huge injury.
“Very invasive pest, one of many world’s most damaging fruit flies,” defined Bryan Benson, Florida Division of Agriculture and Client Companies Deputy Director for the Division of Plant Business.
The fly can infest greater than 430 completely different fruits, greens and nuts. As soon as its eggs are laid inside, none of these crops might be offered, probably destroying the agriculture business right here within the Sunshine State.
“We might not be shifting any vegetables and fruit out of the state of Florida,” Benson mentioned. “Anywhere that we shipped to wouldn’t settle for them, and we’d the entire state can be quarantined.”
That’s the reason the Florida Division of Agriculture, together with the USDA, is actively working to eradicate the Oriental Fruit Fly. Greater than 56,000 traps are being monitored throughout the state.
“Our purpose is early detection of invasive pests,” mentioned Benson. “And the fruit fly traps give us one of the best device to for early detection.”
Since Might, 5 Oriental Fruit Flies have been discovered on native traps. The newest was a mated feminine found almost two weeks in the past.
“That was our set off to begin remedies and declare the quarantine,” Benson mentioned.
Benson mentioned about 500 traps are being monitored domestically, 1000’s of insecticide spot remedies have been placed on phone poles and host bushes and a quarantine space has been established in St. Petersburg and Pinellas Park the place individuals are being requested to take precautions.
“What we might ask is that householders not transfer fruit off their property within the quarantine space,” mentioned Benson.
Any fruits or greens that drop must be double-bagged and thrown out with common trash.
Consultants are optimistic the Oriental Fruit Fly shall be eradicated from the realm since officers moved rapidly, and mentioned the quarantine must be lifted inside 90 days.
The Oriental Fruit Fly has been detected a number of occasions in Florida since 1964, and every time it has been efficiently eradicated. The final detection was in Seminole County in August 2021.