Sacramento Digs Gardening Article
Your resource for Sacramento-area gardening news, tips and events

Articles Recipe Index Keyword Index Calendar Twitter Facebook Instagram About Us Contact Us

Sacramento, Yolo counties end Oriental fruit fly quarantine

Sacramento Digs Gardening
BY Debbie Arrington PUBLISHED MAY 30, 2019

Backyard fruit no longer is under quarantine from the Oriental fruit fly
in a 123-square-mile area of Sacramento and Yolo counties.
(Photo: Kathy Morrison)

Pest finally eradicated after August find in south Sacramento

The quarantine is over! The dreaded Oriental fruit fly has been eradicated in Sacramento County.

On Wednesday, the state Department of Food and Agriculture announced the eradication of this pest, found last August in the Lemon Hill neighborhood of south Sacramento. A 123-square-mile area in Sacramento and Yolo counties has been in quarantine ever since.

After nine months of trapping and monitoring, officials determined the threat was over. In total, 15 males and one female were found.

The quarantine led to tenting at farmers markets and a ban of transportation of fruit outside the effected area.

"CDFA, the USDA, the Yolo County Agricultural Commissioner and the Sacramento County Agricultural Commissioner acknowledge and thank local area residents and businesses for their cooperation in preventing the movement of backyard fruit and allowing property access to perform critical eradication activities," the release said.

(Courtesy CDFA)

Native to southern Asia, the Oriental fruit fly attacks more than 230 crops, making it one of the worse agricultural pests in the state. The female flies tunnel into fruit and vegetables to lay eggs. The eggs hatch into maggots that feed on the food around them, making it unfit for human consumption.

While this threat is over, ag officials urged residents to stay vigilant.

"The vast majority (of Oriental fruit flies) are found in urban and suburban communities," the release noted. "The most common pathway for these pests to enter the state is by 'hitchhiking' in fruits and vegetables brought back illegally by travelers when they return from infested regions of the world."

For tips on how to avoid bringing home pests, go to www.dontpackapest.com .

For more on the Oriental fruit fly: https://bit.ly/2HJgzxo

Comments

0 comments have been posted.

GENERAL GARDENING

An article about gardening.

Keywords:

fruit Oriental fruit flies gardening Sacramento farmers markets pests backyard produce insects

Newsletter Subscription

Sacramento Digs Gardening to your inbox.

Taste Spring! E-cookbook

Find our spring recipes here!

Local News

Thanks to our sponsor!

Sites We Like

Garden Checklist for week of May 19

Temperatures will be a bit higher than normal in the afternoons this week. Take care of chores early in the day – then enjoy the afternoon. It’s time to smell the roses.

* Plant, plant, plant! It’s prime planting season in the Sacramento area. If you haven’t already, it’s time to set out those tomato transplants along with peppers and eggplants. Pinch off any flowers on new transplants to make them concentrate on establishing roots instead of setting premature fruit.

* Direct-seed melons, cucumbers, summer squash, corn, radishes, pumpkins and annual herbs such as basil.

* Harvest cabbage, lettuce, peas and green onions.

* In the flower garden, direct-seed sunflowers, cosmos, salvia, zinnias, marigolds, celosia and asters.

* Plant dahlia tubers. Other perennials to set out include verbena, coreopsis, coneflower and astilbe.

* Transplant petunias, marigolds and perennial flowers such as astilbe, columbine, coneflowers, coreopsis, dahlias, rudbeckia and verbena.

* Keep an eye out for slugs, snails, earwigs and aphids that want to dine on tender new growth.

* Feed summer bloomers with a balanced fertilizer.

* For continued bloom, cut off spent flowers on roses as well as other flowering plants.

* Don’t forget to water. Seedlings need moisture. Deep watering will help build strong roots and healthy plants.

* Add mulch to the garden to help keep that precious water from evaporating. Mulch also cuts down on weeds. But don’t let it mound around the stems or trunks of trees or shrubs. Leave about a 6-inch to 1-foot circle to avoid crown rot or other problems.

Taste Summer! E-cookbook

Find our summer recipes here!

Taste Fall! E-cookbook

Find our fall recipes here!

Taste Winter! E-cookbook

Find our winter recipes here!