Pest Management/Crop Protection

Quarantines lifted in Escondido, Fallbrook areas
SACRAMENTO, August 19, 2010 – Mediterranean fruit fly infestations in the Escondido and Fallbrook areas of San Diego County have been eradicated, ending quarantines that began in late 2009.  The eradication of these infestations means San Diego County is now free from Mediterranean fruit fly infestations.

“Fruit flies are dangerous pests for California farming and backyard gardens,” said CDFA Secretary A.G. Kawamura. “I would like to thank the residents of San Diego County who helped us eradicate these infestations by cooperating with the quarantines.”

To eradicate the pest, agricultural officials employed weekly aerial releases of approximately 2.5 million sterile Medflies over the core of each quarantine area.  Fertile female flies in the environment mate with the sterile male flies but produce no offspring, ultimately resulting in eradication of the pest. The sterile Medflies were brought in from the joint CDFA-U.S. Department of Agriculture rearing facility in Los Alamitos, which prepares hundreds of millions of sterile flies weekly for release over the Los Angeles Basin, where the pest has been introduced repeatedly by international travelers who bring infested produce with them.

Escondido:  The 77-square-mile quarantine was declared after the detection of a mated female Medfly in a local trap in September 2009.  The quarantine was lifted on August 13.

Fallbrook:  The 79-square-mile quarantine was declared after the detection of three Medflies in local traps in October and November 2009.  The quarantine was lifted on July 30.

The Mediterranean fruit fly is one of many pests that threaten both agriculture and residential gardens in California. As travel and commerce increase worldwide, the variety and frequency of pests breaching our border are also on the rise.

The pest can infest over 260 types of fruits and vegetables, threatening California’s crops and exports as well as our urban and suburban landscaping and gardens. A permanent infestation would result in estimated annual losses of $1.3 billion to $1.8 billion.

Quarantines continue to frustrate California grower-shippers
By Don Schrack
Published on 08/20/2010 06:24PM
Even as the California Department of Food and Agriculture claimed victory over an infestation of Mediterranean fruit flies in San Diego County, the agency was forced to expand one quarantine zone and establish yet another.

The end of the more than year long quarantine in the Fallbrook and Escondido areas brings to a halt the requirement that avocado grower-shippers make regular applications of pesticides in their groves.

In the northern reaches of the San Joaquin Valley, the department expanded the quarantine for the European grapevine moth Aug. 19 after moths were found in traps in the Lodi area north of Stockton.

The expanded zone is in one of the valley’s key wine grape growing regions, but harvesting for most of the area’s 2010 fresh produce crops, such as apricots and cherries, is over. The quarantine zones for the moth, from Fresno County north to coastal regions above San Francisco, now cover nearly 2,000 square miles.

The new quarantine established Aug. 19 in Kern County could immediately affect grower-shippers. It is aimed at eradicating an infestation of the melon fruit fly, a pest rarely found in California.

“We still don't understand how and where these things came from,” said Ruben Arroyo, Kern County agricultural commissioner. “It’s baffling.”

Unlike most fruit flies that are extremely small, the melon fruit fly is easy to spot because it is larger than a common housefly, Arroyo said. Native to Asia, the female fly lays eggs under the skin of host fruit. The larvae then tunnel into the flesh and make the fruit unfit for consumption.

With the exception of limited late season watermelon supplies, the Kern County spring/summer melon harvest is over in the quarantine zone, Arroyo said.

The pest is a concern, however, to Dan Andrews, owner of Bakersfield-based Dan Andrews Farms.

“I have cantaloupes and honeydews in the ground for a mid-to-late September and early October harvest,” he said.

The good news for Andrews is that his fields are outside the quarantine zone.

The bad news is for grower-shippers of some row crops and at least one peach grower whose crops also host the melon fruit fly and whose farmland is in the zone.

Because a field of bell peppers is adjacent to land where the pests were trapped, the quarantine required removal of rows of plants to create a buffer zone, Arroyo said.

Another major concern is a nearby 200 acre peach orchard, he said. The peaches are being harvested, but the state agency requires four pesticide applications over the next 30 days, Arroyo said.

Some of the peaches are destined for offshore markets, which require strict phytosanitary standards.

“The only other alternative is to fumigate, but it must be on site,” Arroyo said. “That’s very expensive, and they’re packing 30,000 cartons a day. We don’t have enough chambers to handle that much.”

A problem for other growers is that some of the region’s row crops may not hold up under methyl bromide fumigation, Arroyo said.

Arroyo said his office is working with the state and the U.S. Department of Agriculture in trying to help the growers. They were able to facilitate the shipping of a tomato crop straight to a processing plant.

In a worst case scenario, he said, the peach grower-shipper also may be forced to sell to a processor.

There could be long range problems for the area’s grower-shippers, too. If treatments work quickly to eradicate the pest, the quarantine is scheduled to end in April.

“But if we find more flies, it starts the end date all over again,” Arroyo said.

The region's citrus harvest will begin in late October or early November, and picking of some of Kern County’s early season cherry varieties begins in April.
EUROPEAN GRAPEVINE MOTH QUARANTINE EXPANDS TO SAN JOAQUIN COUNTY

SACRAMENTO, August 19, 2010 - New detections of the European Grapevine Moth in the Lodi area have led to an extension of the quarantine for the pest to San Joaquin County.  Ninety-six square miles are now under quarantine there, bringing the total area under quarantine statewide to 1,995 square miles. 
The quarantine boundaries in San Joaquin County are, on the west, an imaginary line near Highway 12 and N. Devries Rd.; on the north, Peltier Rd; on the east, along Jack Tone Rd. between Eight Mile Road and the community of Lockeford; and on the south, near Foppiano Ln. and N.
Ashley Ln., in northeast Stockton.     
A map may be located at:
http://www.cdfa.ca.gov/phpps/PE/InteriorExclusion/egvm_quarantine.html
The quarantine primarily affects farmers as well as those who harvest, transport and otherwise process or handle crops.  These business people generally sign compliance agreements that indicate how crops, vehicles, equipment and related articles are to be treated during the quarantine.
Residents are also affected by the quarantine.  Those who have grapes, stone fruit trees (peaches, plums, etc.) and other "host plants" for this pest in their yards are asked to harvest and consume their fruit on-site to further limit the risk of spreading the pest.
EGVM, or Lobesia botrana, is found in southern Asia, Japan, Europe, North Africa, Anatolia, the Caucasus and in South America. The pest primarily damages grapes, but has also been known to feed on other crops and plants.
The EGVM larvae, not the adult moths, are responsible for the damage to grapes. Larvae that emerge early in the spring feed on grape bud clusters or flowers and spin webbing around them before pupating inside the web or under a rolled leaf.  If heavy flower damage occurs during this first generation, the affected flowers will fail to develop and yield will be reduced.  Second-generation larvae enter the grapes to feed before pupating in the clusters or in leaves.  Larvae of the third generation - the most damaging - feed on multiple ripening grapes and expose them to further damage from fungal development and rot. These larvae overwinter as pupae in protected areas such as under bark, and emerge as adults the following spring.
QUARANTINE DECLARED IN LOS ANGELES COUNTY FOR ORIENTAL FRUIT FLY

SACRAMENTO, August 10, 2010 – A quarantine is in place in the Pasadena/San Marino area of Los Angeles County, where invasive Oriental fruit flies have been detected.
The quarantine measures 89 square miles and is bordered on the west by Figueroa St; on the south by Interstate 10; on the east by The Big Santa Anita Wash; and on the north by an imaginary line in the foothills. Additional information about this quarantine, including a map, is available at: http://www.cdfa.ca.gov/phpps/PE/InteriorExclusion/off_quarantine.html
The movement of host fruits and plants grown in the quarantine areas is restricted. Residents living within the boundaries are asked not to move host plants and materials from their property.
“All of us must work together to carry out an effective program,” said CDFA Secretary A.G. Kawamura. “We urge home gardeners to comply with these measures by consuming homegrown produce at home and not moving it from their property.  This will protect their fellow gardeners and help ensure that the infestation will not spread to nearby areas where it could affect California’s food supply.”
While fruit flies and other pests threaten California’s crops, the vast majority of them are detected in urban and suburban areas.  The most common pathway for these pests to enter the state is by “hitchhiking” in fruits and vegetables brought back illegally by travelers as they return from infested regions around the world. The Oriental fruit fly is widespread throughout much of the mainland of Southern Asia and neighboring islands including Sri Lanka and Taiwan.  It is also found in Hawaii.
Treatment of the Oriental fruit fly primarily relies upon a process known as “male attractant,” in which workers squirt a small patch of fly attractant mixed with a very small dose of pesticide approximately 8-10 feet off the ground to light poles, street trees and similar surfaces.  Male flies are attracted to the mixture and die after consuming it.
The treatment is non-intrusive and has repeatedly proven successful over many years. Treatments will be repeated at two-week intervals for two life cycles beyond the last fly find, with a minimum of four applications.
A detailed map of the treatment area is available online at:
http://www.cdfa.ca.gov/phpps/PDEP/treatment/treatment_maps.html
Residents with questions about the project may call the department’s Pest Hotline at 1-800-491-1899.
SECRETARY KAWAMURA JOINS USDA IN DEDICATING AUGUST TO INVASIVE SPECIES AWARENESS

SACRAMENTO, August 4, 2010 – CDFA Secretary A.G. Kawamura is joining the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) in recognizing August as “Invasive Plant Pest and Disease Awareness Month.”  Beginning this year, APHIS will engage the public each August to increase understanding about the risks that invasive plant pests, diseases and harmful weeds pose to America’s agricultural and natural resources.
“Invasive species are one of the biggest problems we face,” said Secretary Kawamura. “We must work together to limit our exposure and minimize impacts. I applaud the USDA for making this commitment. It may be the boost we need to bring this issue to a whole new level of awareness.” 
Invasive species cause—or are likely to cause—harm to the economy, the environment and human health.  Foreign travel and ship cargo are two of the risk factors for allowing dangerous plants, animals and microorganisms to enter the country.  Many of these pests and diseases have seriously harmed industry and urban and rural landscapes and have caused billions of dollars in lost revenue and control costs.  Some scientists estimate that the economic impacts from invasive species exceed $1 billion annually in the United States, in addition to the damage they cause to hundreds of millions of acres of native ecosystems and associated native plants and animals.
 
“Preventing foreign pests and diseases from entering the United States is my agency’s number one priority,” said APHIS Administrator Cindy Smith.  “These destructive pests can jeopardize the livelihood of our farmers, ranchers and foresters, and they can forever alter our natural landscape.  We’re dedicating the month of August to raising public awareness about these threats, and we’re asking every American who can to help us fight invasive pests.”
Throughout the month, there will be presentations across the country on invasive pests, the damage they cause, and what Americans can do to prevent their entry into the country and stop their spread once they are here.  The activities will include an invasive species forum in California designed to bring a wide variety of stakeholders together to discuss invasive plant pest issues and potential actions for jointly addressing those risks.
Individual citizens play a vital role protecting U.S. agriculture and the environment from invasive pests. For more information, please see the following web links: http://www.aphis.usda.gov/publications/plant_health/content/printable_version/attack_of_the_invasive_species.pdf. or www.HungryPests.com.