The Mexican fruit fly is native to southern and central Mexico. Each year, the pest enters the Lower Rio Grande Valley’s 27,000 acres of commercial citrus crops from south of the border and attacks more than 40 different kinds of fruits. Damage occurs when the female fly lays eggs in the fruit, which then hatch into larvae, making the fruit unmarketable.
The fly is also a threat to surrounding citrus-producing states, including California, Arizona, Louisiana and Florida. Economic losses due to infestation not only are measured in damaged crops, but also in costs associated with eradication and shipping protocols aimed at consumer protection.
Primary eradication tactics include surveillance, bait sprays and Sterile Insect Techniques (SIT).
MEXICAN FRUIT FLY EMERGENCY QUARANTINE
To combat an outbreak of Mexican fruit flies in the Citrus Zone of Texas, the San Perlita Quarantined Area in Willacy County was quarantined by the Texas Department of Agriculture (TDA) under an emergency quarantine for Mexican fruit fly (Title 4, Texas Administrative Code, Chapter 19, Rules 19.500-19.508; filed with the office of the Secretary of State on May 1, 2013, for publication in the Texas Register; effective May 1, 2013).
CLICK HERE to view map (dated 4/26/2013) of the San Perlita Quarantined Area and its Core Area 1.
CHRONOLOGICAL POSTING OF CHANGES TO THE 2013 EMERGENCY QUARANTINE:
On the basis of new trapping results and under authority provided to TDA by Agric. Code § 72.013, the following changes are made to the Mexican fruit fly quarantine filed by TDA with the Office of the Secretary of State on May 1, 2013, for publication in the Texas Register, in accordance with Rule 19.503(c) of that filing:
05/14/2013. The infested geographical areas subject to the emergency quarantine are hereby modified, as follows: (1) the Harlingen Quarantined Area is added to the quarantined areas described in Rule 19.503(a), and (2) Core Area 1 of the Harlingen Quarantined Area is hereby added to the core areas described in Rule 19.502(b).
CLICK HERE to view map (dated 5/13/2013) of the Harlingen Quarantined Area and its Core Area 1.
CLICK HERE to view legal description of the Harlingen Quarantined Area (“Harlingen Mexican Fruit Fly Quarantine Description”) and its Core Area 1 (“Harlingen Mexican Fruit Fly Core Description”).
05/09/2013. The infested geographical areas subject to the emergency quarantine are hereby modified, as follows: based on new trapping results, the Mercedes Quarantined Area is hereby expanded and an additional core area, Core Area 2, is deisgnated, as detailed in the following map and description.
CLICK HERE to view map (dated 5/8/2013) of the expanded Mercedes Quarantined Area, its Core Area 1 and its Core Area 2.
CLICK HERE to view legal description of the expanded Mercedes Quarantined Area (“Mercedes Mexican Fruit Fly Description, May 8, 2013”). its Core Area 1 (“Mercedes_Merged_Core”) and its Core Area 2 (“LL_05-00_Core”).
05/03/2013. The infested geographical areas subject to the emergency quarantine are hereby modified, as follows: (1) the Mercedes Quarantined Area is added to the quarantined areas described in Rule 19.503(a), and (2) Core Area 1 of the Mercedes Quarantined Area is hereby added to the core areas described in Rule 19.502(b).
CLICK HERE to view map (dated 5/3/2013) of the Mercedes Quarantined Area and its Core Area 1.
CLICK HERE to view legal description of the Mercedes Quarantined Area ("Boundary description for LL-04-00 81 SQM Area") and its Core Area 1 ("Core Description").