Country: United States

Title:

Anastrepha ludens (Mexican Fruit Fly): APHIS Establishes and Amends Quarantine Areas in Texas

Contact:
Catherine Marzolf, National Policy Manager, 386-666-9932 or catherine.a.marzolf@usda.gov and Avraham Eitam, Assistant National Policy Manager, 614-205-4565, avraham.eitam@usda.gov

Report:

On January 8, 2025, the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) and the Texas Department of Agriculture (TDA) reduced the Edinburg Mexican fruit fly (Anastrepha ludens; Mexfly) quarantine in Hidalgo County. On January 10, APHIS and TDA reduced the Brownsville Mexfly quarantine in Cameron County. On January 13, APHIS and TDA established a Mexfly quarantine in Bayview, Cameron County. On January 17, APHIS and TDA expanded the Donna Mexfly quarantine in Hidalgo County, and reduced the Harlingen-Sebastian Mexfly quarantine in Cameron, Hidalgo, and Willacy Counties.

The reduction of the Edinburg quarantine includes the release of 36 square miles, including 441 acres of commercial citrus, after three generations elapsed since the date of the last wild Mexfly detection in that portion, based on a degree-day model. The amended quarantine area is 71 square miles, including 5,238 acres of commercial citrus.

APHIS and TDA established the Edinburg quarantine on August 30, 2024, following the confirmed detection on August 14 of Mexfly larvae in orange fruits on a residential property. APHIS and TDA expanded the quarantine on October 17 following the detections of additional wild Mexflies.

The reduction of the Brownsville quarantine includes the release of 38 square miles, including 27 acres of commercial citrus, after three generations elapsed since the date of the last wild Mexfly detection in that portion, based on a degree-day model. The amended quarantine area is 46 square miles, including three acres of commercial citrus.

APHIS and TDA established the Brownsville quarantine on August 2, 2024, following the confirmed detection on July 26 of Mexfly larvae in citrus fruits on two residential properties. APHIS and TDA reduced the quarantine on December 6 after three generations elapsed since the date of the last wild Mexfly detection in one portion and expanded the quarantine again on December 20 following the detection of a wild mated female Mexfly.

APHIS and TDA established the Bayview quarantine in response to the confirmed detections on January 7 and 8 of a wild mated female Mexfly in a trap and Mexfly larvae in sweet orange fruits in a commercial grove. The quarantine area is 72 square miles, including 245 acres of commercial citrus.

APHIS and TDA expanded the Donna quarantine by 50 square miles to 167 square miles in response to the confirmed detections on January 15 of Mexfly larvae in citrus fruits on residential properties in the city of Donna, and the confirmed detections on January 13 and 16 of a wild mated female Mexfly from a trap on a tangerine tree and Mexfly larvae in tangerine fruits on a residential property in the city of San Carlos. The quarantine area includes 1,861 acres of commercial citrus.

APHIS and TDA established the Donna quarantine on August 15, 2024, following the detection on August 10 of Mexfly larvae in citrus fruits in a commercial grove, and expanded the quarantine on September 28 and November 18 following the detections of additional Mexfly larvae on residential properties.

Changes to the Harlingen-Sebastian quarantine include expansion in one portion in response to the confirmed detection on January 14 of a wild mated female Mexfly from a trap in a sour orange tree on a residential property in Harlingen, and release of other portions from quarantine after three generations elapsed since the date of the last wild Mexfly detections in those portions, based on a degree-day model. Overall, APHIS and TDA reduced the quarantine by eight square miles to 257 square miles. The amended quarantine area includes 1,318 acres of commercial citrus.

APHIS and TDA established the Sebastian quarantine on March 21, following the detection of a wild mated female Mexfly, and the Harlingen quarantine on March 26, following the detections of six wild mated female Mexflies. APHIS and TDA consolidated these two quarantines on September 27, and amended these quarantines on April 3, May 20, June 27, August 2, August 29, September 27, October 11, November 1, and December 6; these were either expansions following the detections of additional Mexflies and Mexfly larvae or removals after three generations elapsed since the dates of the last detections in some portions.

APHIS is applying safeguarding measures and restrictions on the interstate movement of regulated articles to prevent the spread of Mexfly to non-infested areas of the United States, as well as to prevent the entry of these fruit flies into foreign trade. APHIS is working with TDA to eradicate transient Mexfly populations following program guidelines for survey, treatment, and regulatory actions.

The APHIS exotic fruit flies website contains descriptions and maps of the amended quarantine areas, as well as all current Federal fruit fly quarantine areas. APHIS will publish a notice of these changes in the Federal Register.

Under IPPC standards, Anastrepha ludens is a transient pest under eradication that is present only in some areas in Texas. This species is not widely distributed and is under official control in the United States.

Posted Date: Jan. 29, 2025, 10:04 a.m.