San Diego County battles Medflies and other pests
San Diego County battles Medflies and other pests
As of Tuesday, Dec. 2, the California Department of Food & Agriculture had established a 107-square-mile quarantine zone in the El Cajon area of San Diego County following the detection of a Mediterranean fruit fly infestation.
As of Wednesday, Dec. 3, 18 wild adult Medflies had been detected at 12 sites in the area, and Medfly larvae had been detected at two sites. In addition to the challenge of combating the Medfly population, San Diego County also is battling Asian citrus psyllid and Diaprepes root weevils that pose a serious threat to agriculture.
The Medfly can infest more than 260 types of fruits and vegetables, and can cause severe negative effects on California agricultural exports and backyard gardens. CDFA estimates that permanent infestation would result in annual losses of $1.3 billion to $1.8 billion for the state.
Agricultural shipments from the quarantine zone are restricted by specific regulations designed to minimize movement of potentially infested commodities. In addition, people moving through the quarantine zone are urged not to remove fruits and vegetables from the area. The quarantine requires that local residents not move homegrown fruits and vegetables from the property of origin.
An eradication program for the Medfly is already underway, consisting of releases of sterile male flies in the area, fruit stripping within a 100-meter radius around sites where larvae are detected, and ground treatments using the organic-approved product Naturalyte within a 200-meter radius of sites where the flies have been trapped.
CDFA has succeeded in eradicating every Medfly infestation in California since the department began such efforts in 1975 and has relied on sterile Medfly releases almost exclusively since 1996, said CDFA spokesperson Steve Lyle.
San Diego County Agricultural Commissioner Bob Atkins said that while Medflies, Asian citrus psyllid and Diaprepes root weevils all are insects, they are very different from each other and require different methods to combat. "Diaprepes is a beetle, Medfly is a fly and Asian citrus psyllid is more like an aphid," Mr. Atkins said.
The most significant danger presented by Asian citrus psyllid is that it transmits bacteria that cause citrus greening disease, also known as Huanglongbing. Citrus greening disease can kill healthy citrus trees in five to eight years. On Sept. 2, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Animal & Plant Health Inspection Service confirmed the presence of Asian citrus psyllid in San Diego County. A single detection of an Asian citrus psyllid triggers quarantine measures, and the detection of multiple psyllids set that process in motion days later. On Oct. 17, the CDFA announced the detection of Asian citrus psyllids in Imperial County.
If Asian citrus psyllid were to become established, it would not just be commercial operations that would be affected. "Everything people grow in their yard will be affected," Mr. Atkins said, noting that many San Diego County residents grow fruit on their property.
"Asian citrus psyllid is the worst citrus disease," Mr. Atkins said. "When [greening disease is] seen, the only remedy is cutting down a tree." Agriculture Secretary Ed Schafer announced Friday, Nov. 21, the commitment of $5.8 million in funding to stop the spread of Asian citrus psyllid in California. All psyllid pest detections in California thus far have tested negative for citrus greening disease.
Diaprepes root weevils feed on more than 270 species of plants and pose a considerable threat to the citrus and ornamental plant industries in California. San Diego County has been fighting Diaprepes for some three years, Mr. Atkins said. It is hard to eradicate because it "spends most of its life underground," he said. It attacks the roots of a plant and appears to like the coastal area and tropical fruit. Combating the pest involves using soil- applied pesticides, so organic growers are especially at risk.
Mr. Atkins said that at present, there is no federal money allocated for Diaprepes eradication efforts and that state funding to eradicate Diaprepes has dried up as a result of California's state budget woes. San Diego County was having some success combating Diaprepes, and $10 million or so of funding "could have eradicated this," he said.
Eric Larson, executive director of the San Diego County Farm Bureau, said that San Diego County is the foremost nursery-producing county in the nation. He said that the state had funded about $2 million per year for the past two years toward Diaprepes eradication efforts in San Diego County.
While there is no government money for Diaprepes eradication efforts, Mr. Lyle said there remains $600,000 available to enforce Diaprepes quarantine efforts. At present, there are six coastal urban areas in San Diego County under Diaprepes quarantine.
As of Wednesday, Dec. 3, 18 wild adult Medflies had been detected at 12 sites in the area, and Medfly larvae had been detected at two sites. In addition to the challenge of combating the Medfly population, San Diego County also is battling Asian citrus psyllid and Diaprepes root weevils that pose a serious threat to agriculture.
The Medfly can infest more than 260 types of fruits and vegetables, and can cause severe negative effects on California agricultural exports and backyard gardens. CDFA estimates that permanent infestation would result in annual losses of $1.3 billion to $1.8 billion for the state.
Agricultural shipments from the quarantine zone are restricted by specific regulations designed to minimize movement of potentially infested commodities. In addition, people moving through the quarantine zone are urged not to remove fruits and vegetables from the area. The quarantine requires that local residents not move homegrown fruits and vegetables from the property of origin.
An eradication program for the Medfly is already underway, consisting of releases of sterile male flies in the area, fruit stripping within a 100-meter radius around sites where larvae are detected, and ground treatments using the organic-approved product Naturalyte within a 200-meter radius of sites where the flies have been trapped.
CDFA has succeeded in eradicating every Medfly infestation in California since the department began such efforts in 1975 and has relied on sterile Medfly releases almost exclusively since 1996, said CDFA spokesperson Steve Lyle.
San Diego County Agricultural Commissioner Bob Atkins said that while Medflies, Asian citrus psyllid and Diaprepes root weevils all are insects, they are very different from each other and require different methods to combat. "Diaprepes is a beetle, Medfly is a fly and Asian citrus psyllid is more like an aphid," Mr. Atkins said.
The most significant danger presented by Asian citrus psyllid is that it transmits bacteria that cause citrus greening disease, also known as Huanglongbing. Citrus greening disease can kill healthy citrus trees in five to eight years. On Sept. 2, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Animal & Plant Health Inspection Service confirmed the presence of Asian citrus psyllid in San Diego County. A single detection of an Asian citrus psyllid triggers quarantine measures, and the detection of multiple psyllids set that process in motion days later. On Oct. 17, the CDFA announced the detection of Asian citrus psyllids in Imperial County.
If Asian citrus psyllid were to become established, it would not just be commercial operations that would be affected. "Everything people grow in their yard will be affected," Mr. Atkins said, noting that many San Diego County residents grow fruit on their property.
"Asian citrus psyllid is the worst citrus disease," Mr. Atkins said. "When [greening disease is] seen, the only remedy is cutting down a tree." Agriculture Secretary Ed Schafer announced Friday, Nov. 21, the commitment of $5.8 million in funding to stop the spread of Asian citrus psyllid in California. All psyllid pest detections in California thus far have tested negative for citrus greening disease.
Diaprepes root weevils feed on more than 270 species of plants and pose a considerable threat to the citrus and ornamental plant industries in California. San Diego County has been fighting Diaprepes for some three years, Mr. Atkins said. It is hard to eradicate because it "spends most of its life underground," he said. It attacks the roots of a plant and appears to like the coastal area and tropical fruit. Combating the pest involves using soil- applied pesticides, so organic growers are especially at risk.
Mr. Atkins said that at present, there is no federal money allocated for Diaprepes eradication efforts and that state funding to eradicate Diaprepes has dried up as a result of California's state budget woes. San Diego County was having some success combating Diaprepes, and $10 million or so of funding "could have eradicated this," he said.
Eric Larson, executive director of the San Diego County Farm Bureau, said that San Diego County is the foremost nursery-producing county in the nation. He said that the state had funded about $2 million per year for the past two years toward Diaprepes eradication efforts in San Diego County.
While there is no government money for Diaprepes eradication efforts, Mr. Lyle said there remains $600,000 available to enforce Diaprepes quarantine efforts. At present, there are six coastal urban areas in San Diego County under Diaprepes quarantine.
