By Gabe Agcaoili. Bay City News.
Parts of Santa Clara County have been placed under quarantine after invasive oriental fruit flies were detected in cities including Santa Clara and Sunnyvale, county officials said.
California's agriculture secretary quarantined a 112-square-mile portion of the county, including all of Santa Clara and parts of Cupertino, Milpitas, San Jose and Sunnyvale. The quarantine went into effect on September 1 and will likely last until June 1, 2024, according to county officials.
The California Department of Food and Agriculture will treat the area near where the pests were trapped and will likely continue to do so until early March 2024, county officials said.
Residents of quarantined areas are advised not to remove homegrown fruits and vegetables from their properties to prevent the spread of invasive flies.
“However, these fruits and vegetables can be consumed or processed (for example, juiced, frozen, cooked, or ground in the garbage disposal) on the property where they were grown. Affected residents can also dispose of double-bagged homegrown fruits and vegetables. and seal them and place them in their regular trash containers, not in containers designated for organic material and food scraps,” county officials said.
The oriental fruit fly infests more than 230 types of fruits and vegetables, including avocados, apples, citrus and stone fruits, tomatoes and peppers, county officials said.
Invasive flies pose a significant threat to California's agricultural industry, according to the CDFA, which noted that the state's crops threatened by the species in 2020 were worth $19.3 billion.
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