The U.S. Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (USDA APHIS) alongside the Texas Department of Agriculture (TDA) has recently implemented several adjustments to the quarantine areas for the Mexican fruit fly (Mexfly) in Texas. These measures have included expansions and reductions in different regions based on the latest detections and evaluations.
In Donna, Hidalgo County, the Mexfly quarantine was expanded on Oct. 9 due to the detection of Mexfly larvae in fruit on a residential property on Sept. 28. This followed an initial quarantine established on Aug. 15 after larvae were found in a commercial citrus grove. The adjusted quarantine now covers 96 square miles, incorporating 940 acres of commercial citrus.
The Harlingen-Sebastian quarantine area in Cameron, Hidalgo, and Willacy counties saw a reduction of a 50-square-mile portion in Cameron County on Oct. 11, after no new detections for three generations of the pest. However, a 2-square-mile expansion was also enacted in Cameron County due to confirmed larvae findings on Oct. 23. The area under quarantine now spans 321 square miles, with 1,332 acres of commercial citrus.
In Edinburg, Hidalgo County, an expansion was made on Oct. 17 following the detection of a wild-mated female Mexfly on Oct. 10 and larvae on Oct. 15 in commercial grapefruit. The quarantine, initially set on Aug. 30 after larvae were found in residential oranges, now extends over 107 square miles, covering 5,679 acres of commercial citrus.
USDA APHIS is enforcing safeguarding measures and restrictions on the movement of regulated articles to halt the spread of Mexfly within the United States and to protect foreign trade from infestation. Efforts between USDA APHIS and TDA are focused on eradicating transient Mexfly populations.
Source: Citrus Industry