California to release millions of insects in LA area.
If You’re a Californian Who’s Seen Insects Falling from the Sky, Here’s Why
If you’ve ever witnessed insects raining down from the sky in California, you’re about to get an intriguing explanation. According to SFGATE, the city of Los Angeles has taken an extraordinary step to combat the rapidly growing population of wild Mediterranean fruit flies. They have deployed aircraft to dump hundreds of thousands of these insects, all marked with a vibrant purple dye, in an effort to disrupt their numbers.
The California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) plans to release around 2.25 million sterilized male insects from above Los Angeles’ Leimert Park neighborhood. This innovative approach aims to contain the fruit fly population, which has led to a quarantine of a 69-mile area encompassing parts of Culver City and south and central Los Angeles.
This quarantine will have significant implications for producers, distributors, and fruit sellers in the region. Home gardeners are advised to consume their produce locally and avoid transporting it.
The CDFA warns that Mediterranean fruit flies pose a threat to over 250 varieties of fruits and vegetables. These pests cause damage by depositing eggs that hatch into larvae, rendering the produce inedible. If left unchecked, the CDFA estimates that the state of California could face a staggering annual cost of $1.8 billion.
California agricultural officials trying to stop spread of invasive fruit fly in LA County https://t.co/jZkdvfao2Y
— ABC7 Eyewitness News (@ABC7) October 21, 2023
Ken Pellman of the Los Angeles County Agriculture Department revealed to SFGATE that the marked flies are loaded onto a specialized aircraft after being dyed. Once the aircraft reaches the required altitude, the insects are simply released from the bottom of the cabin.
While the exact entry point of the fruit fly into Southern California remains unclear, it is suspected that they arrived through uninspected produce.
Meet the newest resident of Los Angeles, the Mediterranean fruit fly. Officials are, however, combating this invasive species, not with pesticides, but with love, or more accurately, lack of procreation! pic.twitter.com/ke8C9MRCz4
— Los Angeles Magazine (@LAmag) October 27, 2023
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Mediterranean fruit fly, also known as Ceratitis capitata or Medfly, is considered the “most important agricultural pest in the world.” This pest has spread across various regions, including the Mediterranean, southern Europe, the Middle East, Western Australia, South and Central America, and Hawaii.
The first infestation on the U.S. mainland occurred in Florida in 1929. Since then, it has been recorded infesting a wide range of commercial and garden fruits, nuts, and vegetables, such as apple, avocado, bell pepper, citrus, melon, peach, plum, and tomato.
The post State of California Dropping Millions of Insects on LA Area appeared first on The Western Journal.
How does the presence of Mediterranean fruit flies impact the agricultural industry in California?
California has been facing a unique situation recently, where insects have been falling from the sky. This phenomenon has caused curiosity and concern among Californians, who have been seeking an explanation for this unusual occurrence. Fortunately, the reason behind these falling insects has been discovered, and it involves an extraordinary step taken by the city of Los Angeles to combat the growing population of Mediterranean fruit flies.
According to a report by SFGATE, Los Angeles has deployed aircraft to release hundreds of thousands of these flies, marked with a vibrant purple dye, in an effort to disrupt their population. The California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) plans to release around 2.25 million sterilized male insects above Los Angeles’ Leimert Park neighborhood. This innovative approach aims to contain the fruit fly population, which has led to a quarantine of a 69-mile area encompassing parts of Culver City and south and central Los Angeles.
The quarantine has significant implications for producers, distributors, and fruit sellers in the region. Home gardeners are advised to consume their produce locally and avoid transporting it. The CDFA warns that Mediterranean fruit flies pose a threat to over 250 varieties of fruits and vegetables. These pests cause damage by depositing eggs that hatch into larvae, rendering the produce inedible. If left unchecked, the CDFA estimates that the state of California could face a staggering annual cost of $1.8 billion.
Ken Pellman of the Los Angeles County Agriculture Department shared with SFGATE that the marked flies are loaded onto a specialized aircraft after being dyed. Once the aircraft reaches the required altitude, the insects are simply released from the bottom of the cabin. While the exact entry point of the fruit fly into Southern California remains unclear, it is suspected that they arrived through uninspected produce.
The Mediterranean fruit fly, also known as Ceratitis capitata or Medfly, is considered the “most important agricultural pest in the world” by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. This pest has spread across various regions, including the Mediterranean, southern Europe, the Middle East, Western Australia, South and Central America, and Hawaii. The first infestation on the U.S.
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