The state of California is known for its agriculture; the temperate climate makes it the perfect growing environment. With the crops come a group of both exotic and invasive pests who threaten the health of the plants and cost the growers big dollars. The Asian Citrus Psyllid is a well-known invasive pest in California; this pest carries the bacterial plant disease Huanglongbing (HLB) which can kill the citrus trees.

The Mediterranean fruit fly, also known as medfly, is an exotic pest considered to be a major threat to the state of California’s agriculture. The medflies lay eggs under the skin of fruits and vegetables; the eggs hatch and the medfly larvae remains inside the fruit or vegetable. This of course makes the fruit inedible and it’s now easy to transport infected fruit all around the world. Mediterranean fruit flies are native to Africa but can now be found in counties all around the globe; the medfly was first detected in the continental US in 1929.

The Mediterranean Fruit Fly has been found infesting over 300 varieties of fruits and vegetables. California crops threatened by the fly include orange, plum, walnut, apple, apricot, avocado, bell pepper, fig, grape, grapefruit, lemon, lime, melon, nectarine,  peach, pear, persimmon, pomegranate, tangerine, tomato and grapefruit.

So what is being done to control the Mediterranean Fruit Fly? Sterile Insect Technique (STI) and quarantines. STI is the process of releasing sterile insects to disrupt the reproductive cycle of the insect. STI has been used successfully in the past and is used when medflies are found around the area. It is an ongoing process of STI and quarantines to make sure this species of fruit fly does not become established in the United States.

What can you do to help? Avoiding shipping fruits and vegetables into the state of California unless they have been looked over by an agricultural inspector. Also, it may seem like common sense, but cooperate with quarantine restrictions, they are there for a reason.

The USDA has a site specifically designated as an invasive species information center. It’s interesting to see the invasive animals, plants, aquatic species and even microbes affecting not just California but states around the US.

{photo credit: sarsifa}

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