Fruit fly quarantines end in east Ventura County
The California Department of Food and Agriculture has declared an end to Mediterranean and Queensland fruit fly quarantines in Southern California, including parts of east Ventura County.
The action comes following the eradication of the two invasive species, the department announced Aug. 6.
In Ventura County, the nine-month-old quarantine had encompassed areas around Thousand Oaks, Moorpark, and the Santa Rosa Valley.
In bordering Los Angeles County, it had encompassed areas around Agoura Hills and Westlake Village.
The Queensland fruit fly was detected in Thousand Oaks in October and led to the first-ever quarantine established for the invasive species in the Western Hemisphere.
“Last year, California experienced an unusually high population of invasive fruit flies, and the response required coordination from residents, agricultural industry members and agricultural commissioners in both counties,” Victoria Hornbaker, director of CDFA’s Plant Health and Pest Prevention Services Division, said in a press release.
“Through this coordination, we’re incredibly proud to have successfully achieved the eradication of several species of invasive fruit flies in Southern California but the threat is never completely gone,” she said.
Crops that are hosts for the Mediterranean and Queensland fruit flies — which include more than 300 host varieties, such as citrus and other fruits, nuts, vegetables, and berries — were not allowed to be moved from properties where they were grown during the quarantine phases.
Commercial host crops were required to meet stringent treatment or processing standards before being harvested or moved.
The Department of Food and Agriculture partnered with Ventura County Agricultural Commissioner Korrine Bell, the Los Angeles County Agricultural Commissioner, and the United States Department of Agriculture in the quarantine and eradication efforts.
