The Mediterranean yield fly is making another coming into court in the U.S. this season . Afterinfestations in Californialed to the quarantine of farm in San Diego County last November , the Medfly is now wreaking havoc on fruit and vegetable farm in Florida .
The Medfly has made continual appearances in the U.S. since 1929 , when the first Medfly eradication program was implemented in Florida . Since then , the Medfly has reappeared in Florida , California and Hawaii , though it has not had the advantage of establishing itself in the long - terminus . This year ’s outbreak in Palm Beach County , Fla. , is the first major Florida plague since 1997 and 1998 , grant to a public press expiration from the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services .
“ Many dollar and much feat on the part of various commonwealth and Union agricultural regulative agencies and outside cooperation with other ministries of agriculture are expend to assure that any intromission do not occur and do not set up when [ Medflies ] are able-bodied to slip one’s mind in undetected , ” says David Dean , an bugologist at the Florida agriculture department ’s yield fly research laboratory .
The Medfly originates from sub - Saharan Africa , but derives its name from its instal residence in the Mediterranean . While the Medfly got its bad reputation for infesting citrus fruits , because of its ability to live a all-embracing cooking stove of mood , tropic to temperate , it can infest more than 250 other crop as well , such as orchard apple tree , Nut and some vegetables .
“ The Medfly is recognized as one of if not potentially the worst agricultural pest on a world-wide basis , ” Dean say . “ It can procreate in such a wide kind of unrelated host plant fruit — and even in weedy host — snipe the fruit while still on the plant life . ”
Florida ’s agriculture department lead off an pinch Mediterranean fruit fly eradication course of study on June 10 , 2010 , to hold in and eliminate the current plague , Dean says . The Florida obliteration platform includes :
The Medfly eradication program will continue for three life cycle of no new Medfly rule .
“ Because we were capable to make detective work ahead of time and were capable to carry out rapid eradication efforts while the infestation was still very small , we have only had a few pocket-size commercial mango growers quarantined and ineffectual to ship or sell fruit outside the surface area , ” Dean suppose .
However , low James Leonard Farmer and plate gardeners in Florida should keep watchful to Medfly infestation in their crops . Under optimum condition , the Medfly can multiply speedily .
“ Once the female has shoot the fruit with eggs , then it is well-nigh impossibly to save the yield from damage done by the larvae or fruit maggots , ” Dean says .
Medflies spend much of their living — from egg to maggot — inside the fruit , make it difficult for husbandman to detect an infestation . Because of their resilience , the Medflies may last out alive even after the yield is picked and is transport or traded .
If you surmise a Mediterranean yield pilot infestation in your field , contact your state ’s agriculture department or agricultural regulative agency for recognition and appropriate response .
