UPDATE ON LAKEWOOD AREA ORIENTAL FRUIT FLY DETECTIONS

DATE: September 25, 2008

CONTACT:
Ken Pellman
Public Information Officer
County of Los Angeles Department of Agricultural Commissioner/Weights
and Measures
(626) 579-8589
(626) 226-6085 (cell)

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

UPDATE ON LAKEWOOD AREA ORIENTAL FRUIT FLY DETECTIONS

ARCADIA, CA – A total of six specimens of Oriental Fruit Fly (OFF)
have been detected this week in Lakewood. As a result, efforts already
underway to eradicate the destructive exotic species from the Lakewood
area will be extended. The eradication program was initiated in
mid-August, prompted by the detection of eight OFF in the area between
August 13 and 18.

These recent detections will cause the California Department of Food
and Agriculture (CDFA) to continue its eradication project for at least
eight more weeks. This includes a minimum of four weekly applications
of small amounts of organic pesticide Spinosad to trees on 281
properties, including the five properties where the fourteen specimens
were detected and properties within 200 meters of those sites. CDFA is
also cutting and checking fruit growing at the detection locations and
properties immediately adjacent for the presence of maggots. Also
underway over an 8.5 square mile area is a "male attractant"
technique, consisting of squirting a small spot of bait onto parkway
tree trunks at a height of six to eight feet. Male Oriental Fruit Flies
feed on the bait and are killed by the small amount of Naled pesticide
in the bait. Approximately 600 applications are made in each square
mile and repeated every two weeks for at least four sessions. The male
attractant technique presents no inconveniences to residents.

No aerial treatments are planned. The CDFA will continue the baiting
technique in the same area it has been treating since mid-August, which
includes parts of Lakewood, Bellflower, Long Beach, and borders part of
Cerritos. Residents with any questions or concerns about the male
attractant technique may contact the CDFA Pest Hotline at
1-800-491-1899.

A quarantine is in effect, covering about 75 square miles, that puts
restrictions on the movement of fruit and vegetables from or through the
Lakewood area. Cooperation from area residents and businesses has been
good in complying with the quarantine requirements.

Oriental Fruit Fly is one of the world's most destructive insect pests.
Mated female flies pierce the skins of hundreds of different fruits and
vegetables and deposit eggs. After maggots hatch from the eggs, they
feed on the flesh of the fruits and vegetables, rendering them unfit for
consumption. Not native to California and not established in the state,
OFF originates from southeast Asia and is now found in Hawaii and other
Pacific Islands. A longstanding, continuous exotic pest exclusion and
detection program has helped prevent this and many other pests from
becoming established and threatening California's $32 billion
agricultural industry.

"We continue to need the public's help in preventing the
introduction of pests into our county and our state," said Kurt
Floren, County of Los Angeles Agricultural Commissioner. "When
returning from a trip out of state, please do not bring back prohibited
vegetables, fruits, or other plants, because there could be an insect
pest or a plant disease hitching a ride with you. We urge all residents
to discourage friends and family living out of state from sending such
items in the mail. Foreign insects and plant diseases can harm or kill
native species, destroy landscaping and home-grown fruits and
vegetables, cause increased use of pesticides, and add costs to
California's agriculture industry and, thus, increase produce prices
at the store."

To find out what is prohibited to bring into Los Angeles County, call
(562) 622-0426. Anyone who wants to transport fruits or plants into or
out of Los Angeles County should call (562) 940-7803 to obtain
additional information.


Established in 1881, ACWM protects consumers and the environment
through early detection and exclusion of dangerous, invasive insect and
plant pests; enforcement of laws and regulations regarding safe
pesticide use; operation of an environmental toxicology laboratory;
clearance of weeds, brush, and debris from vacant land to reduce fire
hazards; inspection and verification of accuracy of scales, meters,
price scanners, and quantity labeling on packaged goods.
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