Fruit fly quarantine in South Bay lifted after 9 months
A nearly nine-month Oriental fruit fly quarantine in Santa Clara County has been lifted following the eradication of the invasive pest.
The California Department of Food and Agriculture announced the quarantine's end Wednesday for parts of Sunnyvale, Santa Clara, Cupertino, San Jose, Milpitas, Mountain View, Saratoga and Campbell.
"Thanks to the responsiveness and cooperation of Santa Clara's residents, and our partners at the Santa Clara County Division of Agriculture and the United States Department of Agriculture, we were able to quickly and safely eradicate this infestation of the Oriental fruit fly," said Victoria Hornbaker, director of CDFA's Plant Health and Pest Prevention Services Division.
During the quarantine, the nearly 300 crops favored by the fly—including various types of citrus, fruit, vegetables and berries—were not allowed out of the impacted areas, although commercial crops could be transported after being treated or processed prior to harvest or shipping.
Although the quarantine is over, people are still asked to take precautions to prevent future infestations. Some preventative measures include buying fruit trees and vegetable plants from licensed California nurseries, not bringing overseas agricultural products into the area when traveling abroad and inspecting plants and trees for signs of the pests.
To learn more about invasive species and how to protect fruits and vegetables, people can visit CaFruitFly.com or ag.santaclaracounty.gov.
Currently there are six other active fruit fly quarantine areas in California, including an Oriental fruit fly quarantine centered in eastern Contra Costa County, according to the CDFA.