Official Pest Report
Official Pest Reports are provided by National Plant Protection Organizations within the NAPPO region. These Pest Reports are intended to comply with the International Plant Protection Convention's Standard on Pest Reporting, endorsed by the Interim Commission on Phytosanitary Measures in March 2002.
Anastrepha ludens (Mexican Fruit Fly): APHIS Removes the Quarantine Area in Laredo, Webb County, and Zapata, Zapata County, Texas
Anastrepha ludens (Mexican Fruit Fly): APHIS Removes the Quarantine Area in Laredo, Webb County, and Zapata, Zapata County, Texas
Country: United States
Title:
Anastrepha ludens (Mexican Fruit Fly): APHIS Removes the Quarantine Area in Laredo, Webb County, and Zapata, Zapata County, Texas
Contact:
Richard Johnson, Fruit Fly National Policy Manager, at 301-851-2109.
Report:
On September 13 and 14, 2020, the USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) and the Texas Department of Agriculture (TDA) removed two Mexican fruit fly (Mexfly) quarantines after three Mexfly life-cycles elapsed with no additional detections in these areas.
- Effective September 13, 2020, APHIS and TDA removed the Mexfly quarantine in Zapata, Zapata County, Texas. On May 11, APHIS confirmed one Mexfly larva from a grapefruit in a residential area of Zapata, Texas, triggering the establishment of a quarantine for this pest. Subsequently, APHIS detected and confirmed three additional larvae and one mated female Mexfly in the regulated area. The quarantine area encompassed approximately 79.8 square miles of Zapata, Zapata County.
- Effective September 14, 2020, APHIS and TDA removed the Mexfly quarantine in Laredo, Webb County, Texas. On March 3, APHIS confirmed the quarantine trigger of five adult Mexflies within a three-mile radius during the period of one life cycle. APHIS later detected and confirmed an additional adult Mexfly and one larva in the regulated area. The quarantine area encompassed approximately 76.6 square miles of Laredo, Webb County.
APHIS works cooperatively with TDA to eradicate the transient Mexfly populations through various control actions per program protocols. The following website contains a description of all the current Federal fruit fly quarantine areas:
http://www.aphis.usda.gov/plant-health/ff-quarantine.
Under IPPC Standards, Anastrepha ludens is considered to be a pest that is transient, actionable, and under eradication in the United States.
Posted Date: Oct. 1, 2020, 9:15 a.m.