Country: United States

Title:

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

Contact:
Catherine Marzolf, National Policy Manager, 386-666-9932 or catherine.a.marzolf@usda.gov

Report:

On June 26, 2025, the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) and the Texas Department of Agriculture (TDA) amended five Mexican fruit fly (Anastrepha ludens; Mexfly) quarantines in Texas: the Brownsville Mexfly quarantine in Cameron County, the Edinburg-Palmview Mexfly quarantine in Hidalgo County, the Donna Mexfly quarantine in Hidalgo County, the Harlingen-Sebastian Mexfly quarantine in Cameron, Hidalgo, and Willacy Counties, and the Sullivan City quarantine in Hidalgo County. In addition, APHIS and TDA removed the Bayview Mexfly quarantine in Cameron County on June 27 and the Lyford Mexfly quarantine in Willacy County on June 30.

On June 26, APHIS and TDA expanded the Brownsville quarantine by 21 square miles following a detection, confirmed on June 10, of one Mexfly larva in a Texas olive (Cordia boissieri) fruit on a residential property in Brownsville. The area within the expansion does not contain commercial citrus. The quarantine area is 147 square miles and includes 103 acres of commercial citrus.

On June 26, APHIS and TDA merged the Edinburg-Palmview quarantine and the Donna quarantine and removed 44 square miles, including 945 acres of commercial citrus, from quarantine. Release from quarantine occurred after three generations elapsed since the date of the last Mexfly detection, based on a degree-day model. APHIS and TDA merged these quarantine areas following a detection, confirmed on June 11, of one Mexfly larva in sour orange on a residential property in Alamo. The Edinburg-Palmview-Donna quarantine area is 430 square miles and includes 9,454 acres of commercial citrus.

On June 26, APHIS and TDA reduced the Harlingen-Sebastian quarantine by 15 square miles after three generations elapsed since the date of the last Mexfly detection in that portion, based on a degree-day model. There is no commercial citrus in the area removed from the quarantine. The amended quarantine area is 428 square miles and includes 1,459 acres of commercial citrus.

On June 26, APHIS and TDA reduced the Sullivan City quarantine by nine square miles after three generations elapsed since the date of the last Mexfly detection in that portion, based on a degree-day model. The amended quarantine area is 71 square miles with no commercial citrus included.

On June 27, APHIS and TDA removed the Bayview quarantine. This action released 90 square miles, including 285 acres of commercial citrus, from quarantine. Release from quarantine occurred after three generations elapsed since the date of the last detection, based on a degree-day model.

On June 30, APHIS and TDA removed the Lyford quarantine. This action released 71 square miles with no commercial citrus from quarantine. Release from quarantine occurred after three generations elapsed since the date of the last detection, based on a degree-day model.

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 Mexfly quarantine areas and 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: July 22, 2025, 4:22 p.m.