Parts of Southern California under quarantine over oriental fruit fly infestation

Parts of Southern California are under quarantine after oriental fruit flies were detected, officials announced.

The eight flies were found in and around the cities Santa Ana and Garden Grove, prompting officials to block off an 87-square mile quarantine zone, the California Department of Food and Agriculture said in a news release last week.

The quarantine zone includes a circular area between Anaheim, the John Wayne Airport, Huntington Beach and State Highway 55, the department said.

The department previously declared oriental fruit fly quarantines in October 2023 for portions of Sacramento, San Bernardino, and Riverside, as well as a portion of Orange County in September 2022.

The quarantine is expected to stay in effect until June 2025 "provided no additional Oriental fruit flies are found in the area," a spokesman for the California Department of Food and Agriculture wrote in an email to USA TODAY Tuesday afternoon.

Here’s what to know.

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What are oriental fruit flies?

The oriental fruit fly is a pest that has negatively impacted more than 400 types of fruits and vegetables, including apricots, cherries, figs and tomatoes, according to the Animal & Plant Health Inspection Service, or APHIS.

The oriental fruit fly can spread rapidly and when successfully spread, the fruit fly causes fruit to decay early and fall to the ground. Larvae or maggots are also able to develop and feed on the pulp, the agency said. 

The oriental fruit fly is commonly found in Southern Asia, nearby islands and in Africa, APHIS said. The fly was first detected in Hawaii in the mid-1940s and eventually it was detected in California and Florida. 

Its presence in California has increased over the past decade, said APHIS, citing an increase in “international passenger air travel.”

When oriental fruit flies are present, maggots feed inside the fruit.

According to APHIS, adult oriental fruit flies are slightly larger than house flies. Their body color varies, but they typically have bright yellow marks and a dark T-shaped mark on the abdomen. The fruit flies have clear wings.

According to APHIS, oriental fruit flies have a pointed tube-like organ called an ovipositor that they use to lay eggs underneath the fruit's skin. Their eggs, the agency said, are tiny, white and cylinder-shaped.

According to the California Department of Food and Agriculture, female fruit flies lay eggs inside the fruit. Once the eggs hatch into maggots, the maggots travel through the fruit, making it inedible.

Residents in quarantine zone asked to safeguard their fruits and vegetables

The quarantine was set in place to stop the fruit flies from spreading to homegrown fruits and vegetables, and officials said residents living within the quarantine zone should not move those items from their property. 

If they’d like, residents can still consume or process impacted fruits and vegetables by juicing them, freezing them, dooking them or grinding them in the garbage disposal on the property where they were picked. 

Residents can also throw the items away by double bagging them and putting them in regular trash bins, not green waste bins.

How do officials get rid of oriental fruit flies?

The California Department of Food and Agriculture said officials use a male attractant method to combat the fruit flies. According to the department, the tactic has helped eliminate dozens of fruit fly infestations in California already. 

Workers apply a small patch of fruit fly attractant mixed with a small dose of Spinosad, an organic pesticide to the ground. 

The mixture is applied 8 to 10 feet off the ground on street trees, power poles, street lights and other surfaces, the department said. Male fruit flies are attracted to the mixture and die after consuming it. 

The department said fruit flies and other invasive species are sometimes found in agricultural areas but they are mainly found in urban and suburban communities. They tend to “hitchhike” in fruits and vegetables brought back illegally when travelers come back from infested regions. The pests can also “hitchhike” in packages of produce mailed from other countries to California.

How to prevent the spread of oriental fruit flies

The oriental fruit fly’s primary means of spreading is through infested fruits and vegetables, APHIS said. 

To prevent this spread, the agency said individuals should refrain from bringing fresh fruits, vegetables, or plants into their states unless they have been cleared by agricultural inspectors.

The agency also advises declaring all agricultural products to U.S. customs when returning from international travel.

Saleen Martin is a reporter on USA TODAY's NOW team. She is from Norfolk, Virginia – the 757. Follow her on Twitter at@SaleenMartin or email her at[email protected].