Invasive fruit fly infestation puts Los Angeles neighborhood under quarantine

Dozens of miles of a Los Angeles County neighborhood are under quarantine after an invasive species was found flying through the area. It’s the first ever quarantine caused by the species, the Tau fruit fly, in the Western hemisphere, state officials said. 

The lockdown covers 79 square miles of the Stevenson Ranch area near Santa Clarita. According to the California Department of Food and Agriculture, more than 20 Tau fruit flies were discovered in the area. 

“The fly is native to Asia and is a serious pest for agriculture and natural resources, with a very wide host range, including numerous fruits and vegetables as well as a select range of native plants in California,” the department said in a press release. “It’s believed the fly was introduced by travelers bringing uninspected produce into the state — a common pathway for invasive species.” 

Those living in the area have been urged not to transport fruits and vegetables from their property, as female flies will lay eggs under the skin of fruits – with more than 400 eggs at a time. The eggs will typically hatch in just a couple days, and within a week, larvae will tunnel through the fruit, eating as it goes and shedding its skin twice. Among the produce potentially impacted are melons, okras, peppers, papayas, citrus, cucumbers, pumpkins, avocados, tomatoes and gourds. 

If no presence of the flies is detected on the produce, they can still be consumed or processed where they were picked. If not consumed, officials said they should be double bagged and placed in a garbage bin.

 Adult Tau flies are tiny – roughly 7 millimeters in length – with yellow bodies and black markings. According to the state, they have clear wings with a dark stripe along their front that ends in a dark spot, and another stripe that’s about half as long and runs diagonal from the fly’s wing base. Tau fly eggs are white, about a millimeter long and about 4 millimeters wide. 

While this is the first time the insects have caused a quarantine in California, it isn’t the first time they’ve been found in the state. 

The state’s Department of Food and Agriculture says that they were discovered in San Bernardino County in 2016. Since then, they have been found and “successfully eradicated” three separate times.