Cupertino Fruit Fly infestation triggers eradication program

An Oriental Fruit Fly eradication program will commence Oct. 25 due to an infestation discovered in Cupertino, according to a press release from the Santa Clara County Public Affairs Office.
Two flies were trapped in a residential neighborhood west of the intersection of Highway 85 and De Anza Boulevard, and their identification was confirmed by the California Department of Food and Agriculture.
The trapping of the two flies resulted in an emergency proclamation by the CDFA, authorizing immediate implementation of an eradication program, the press release reads.
The planned eradication program will involve the “male attractant” technique using ground-based, spot applications of insecticide and pheromone lure. The gelatinous mixture is applied as small, dollar-sized spots (“bait stations”) on street trees and utility poles. The male fruit flies are attracted to these spots because of the lure, and die from feeding on the minute amount of insecticide in the mixture. The treatments are applied at heights that are typically inaccessible and cause minimal disruption to the public, according to the County.
CDFA workers will treat an area of approximately 10 square miles as part of the eradication effort. The treatment area is roughly bounded by Alves Drive to the north, Johnson Avenue on the east, Blauer Drive on the south and Stevens Canyon Road on the west.
Infestations of Oriental Fruit Fly likely result from the introduction of contraband fruit.
About the Oriental fruit fly
The tiny flies – which are about the size of a pinhead and native to Southern Asia – burrow inside fruit, lay eggs and populate.
If not eradicated, they threaten a multimillion-dollar industry. The insect is dangerous to more than 230 kinds of fruits and vegetables including citrus, stone fruits, apple, pear fruits, avocado and tomato.
The last county infestation in Milpitas caused major concern in 2010, and was fully eradicated in July 2011, according to the County.
In July 2012, four flies were originally found near the area of Tennant Avenue and Monterey Road in Morgan Hill, triggering an “infestation” determination along with heavy trapping and bait station applications. This process differs from a quarantine, wherein local crops cannot be moved.
Infestations have occurred in California over the last 30 years and have been successfully wiped out before any critical damage, according to former County Agriculture Commissioner Kevin O’Day. The fruit fly is typically found in urban areas, he said, because they “hitchhike” on fruit that is from an infested area such as Hawaii or the Philippines.