COLUSA COUNTY, CA (MPG) – Colusa County officials are reminding people who travel outside Colusa County to not bring home any unwelcome pests.
Agricultural Commissioner Anastacia Allen said California is having an unprecedented outbreak of invasive fruit flies, a pest that has been found as far north as Sacramento in recent months.
Invasive non-native oriental fruit flies are serious pests for California’s agricultural industry, she said.
Federal, state, and county agricultural officials have been working year-round
to prevent, deter, detect, and eradicate the invasive species, which is native to southern Asia.
The flies are likely entering California by “hitching” a ride with travelers who illegally bring fruits and vegetables into the state or from packages of homegrown produce sent to California residents.
According to the California Department of Agriculture, the oriental fruit fly is
known to target over 230 different fruits, vegetable, and plant commodities.
Damage occurs when the female fruit fly lays her eggs inside the fruit; the eggs hatch into maggots that tunnel through the flesh of the fruit, making it unfit for consumption.
“Our tomato crop is probably the most susceptible to an invasive fruit fly attack, so we do not want them here,” Allen said.
Allen said that while California will typically detect about 70 fruit flies a year
– enough to cause concern – California has detected well over 700 this year.
Allen said because it is so difficult to eradicate fruit flies, the best prevention is
not to bring them to the county by packing fruits and vegetables in suitcases or vehicles when you travel.
“Don’t pack a pest,” she said. “We do not want them risking our crops.”