Traps Reveal No Infestation of Fruit Flies

Insect traps scattered through an 81-square-mile area turned up no signs of fruit fly infestation in East Los Angeles, despite the find of a single Mexican fruit fly several weeks ago.

“No more flies have been trapped, so it was just that single fly,” said Bill Edwards, the Los Angeles County Agriculture Commission’s chief deputy, speculating that a resident returning from Mexico with illegal fruit may have unwittingly brought in the fly. So far this year, the state and county have remained free of infestations of Oriental, Mediterranean and Mexican fruit flies, he said, although the next six months mark prime fruit fly season.

Los Angeles County has suffered from infestations of each type of fly over the past several years, Edwards said. An immature unmated female Mexican fruit fly was found May 2 in a trap hung in a guava tree in the 400 block of Marianna Avenue, Edwards said.