Invasive fruit flies that have been plaguing SoCal since last year, threatening both commercial and private crops, have been successfully eradicated, officials announced Tuesday.
According to California Department of Food and Agriculture's (CDFA) Victoria Hornbaker, these aren't the average flies that pop up in your kitchen, "We're talking about IFFs-invasive fruit flies."
This infestation of IFFs impacted much of California, including L.A., Orange, Ventura, Riverside, and San Bernardino counties, resulting in seven statewide quarantines.
Hornbaker told KNX News' Karen Adams that thanks to the quick work of the CDFA in partnership with the USDA, "We eradicated five different species of fruit fly...and we've been able to [lift] all seven of those quarantines."
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Officials announced their victory over the invasive fruit flies at a farmer's market in Culver City because Hornbaker says selling fresh produce there or anywhere else in the state wouldn't be possible if those fruit flies weren't killed off.
Hornbaker said if they establish themselves in California, "Everything that we grow is going to be at risk because these flies will feed on over 300 different varieties of fruits and vegetables."
Officials say that to prevent these invasive fruit flies from reappearing, the best course of action is to avoid obtaining fruit or plants from outside the state.
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