Fruit Fly Find Means Action by Swat Team

What a way to go.

The discovery of two Oriental fruit flies within a mile of each other in Buena Park earlier this month led state agricultural officials Friday to begin a bait-and-poison program they hope will stave off an infestation.

The bait is sex.

The poison is, well, poison.

Under a process referred to as “male annihilation,” bait stations are being set with methyl eugenol, which fools male flies into believing a female fly is present, and Naled, an insecticide that kills the amorous males.

With the would-be dads dead, there will be no fly babies, and the population will die out before it can get firmly established.

About 7,200 bait stations will be set up on telephone poles and trees over 12 square miles of Buena Park, north of Crescent Avenue between Brookhurst and Valley View streets.

“This treatment is very safe,” said Cesar Paredes, an agricultural pest control officer for the state’s Department of Food and Agriculture. “It’s a very easy and effective technique. It’s applied out of vehicles. The residents won’t even see the crews out there.”

The fruit flies, a recurring pest in Southern California, can destroy citrus and stone fruit crops if left unchecked, state officials said.

“The flies attack different fruits and vegetables,” Paredes said. “The female fly leaves its eggs on ripe fruit, and the larvae feed on the fruit, which leads to decay and early drops.”

The flies, known scientifically as Bactrocera dorsalis, measure about one-eighth-inch in length. Related to the infamous Mediterranean fruit fly, the Oriental fruit fly differs in one critical way--it is much easier to kill and control.

Still, Oriental fruit flies have caused serious problems overseas and in Hawaii, limiting agricultural production and exports from those areas, state officials said. While the fruit flies are not native to California, summer travelers often bring the bugs when they return home.

“People like to bring back home-grown fruits from relatives back home,” Paredes said. “In most cases, people bring it inadvertently.”

This is the first time in several years the fly has been found in Orange County, Paredes said.

He said work crews in Buena Park will apply four treatments over two weeks, and then the traps will be monitored again. He said he expects the bait-and-poison program to take care of the problem.

“We’re not talking about a quarantine,” he said “Male annihilation is very effective. But if additional flies are found, then we’ll look into that.”

He urged homeowners to check the fruit trees in their yards and, if maggots or fruit flies are present, to call the Department of Food and Agriculture for an inspection.

For information on controlling pests, call toll-free, (800) 675-2427.