Invasive fruit fly species puts parts of Orange County under quarantine

The cities of Santa Ana and Garden Grove have been placed under quarantine Wednesday in light of an uninvited and unwelcome visitor: the oriental fruit fly, an invasive pest that attacks over 230 crops including fruits, nuts and vegetables.

The quarantine zone in Orange County measures 87 square miles, bordered on the north by Anaheim, on the south by John Wayne Airport, on the west by Huntington Beach, and on the east by State Highway 55.

Female oriental fruit flies contaminate fruit by laying eggs inside it. The eggs then hatch into maggots, which tunnel through the flesh of the fruit, making it unfit for consumption.

Residents living in the quarantine zones can help prevent the spread of the oriental fruit flies by not moving those crops from their property.

Read at Los Angeles Times