Trees to be stripped of citrus due to infestation
State regulators target 2,000 properties in effort to contain fruit fly
Citrus trees heavy with ripened fruit will be stripped this month at some 2,000 properties in Redlands as state regulators work to contain a fruit fly infestation that threatens to wreak havoc on local crops.
In September, the California Department of Food and Agriculture enacted a quarantine in Redlands and surrounding communities in an effort to control the spread of the Oriental fruit fly that feasts on 230 different fruit, from avocado to tomato.
With harvest season in full swing in Redlands, state agriculture officials identified a couple of thousand properties on the city's south side for large-scale removal of tons of ripened fruit, according to food and agriculture department spokesperson Steve Lyle.
Ripened fruit attracts the pest to lay its eggs.
The properties selected for fruit removal are “within a half-mile radius of larval detections, mated-female detections, or detections of high volumes of Oriental fruit flies,” Lyle wrote in a Feb.5 email.
Though the state has removed fruit from private groves, Redlands spokesperson Carl Baker said in a Feb. 1 phone call the state's efforts had not yet reached city-owned groves.
“The city groves, we are probably going to strip the trees ourselves, and juice the fruit, which we've been given permission to do under the state's guidelines,” Baker said.
Redlands Councilmember Jenna Guzman-lowery, a primary liaison to the city's Citrus Preservation Commission, agreed something would be done to affected city-owned trees and groves to prevent infestation by the fruit fly.
“It is my understanding that this will help to prevent the spread, which will hopefully save the trees for future seasons,” Guzmanlowery said.
For now, fruit removal is happening only in Redlands. The food and agriculture department had no plans in early February to remove fruit from trees in other areas affected by the quarantine, Lyle said.
Though Riverside groves are not targeted for fruit stripping, growers have encountered other complications during the quarantine, one local grower said.
“This has been the biggest bunch of nonsense for us,” Brian Griffith said in a Jan. 31 phone interview. “We were told on December 5th that we couldn't sell anything, and I do farmers markets, so I said, `This just isn't going to work.' ”
There are a lot of small farmers in the area, Griffith said, and farm-to-school programs that are being hurt due to the quarantine, which prevents the removal of crops from a grower’s property. According to Griffith, the food and agriculture department is telling farmers they can’t grow crops such as cucumbers, tomatoes and eggplant.
“I don’t think a lot of these state agencies, particularly WIC (the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children) and particularly farm-to-school programs, have any clue how devastating this is going to be, even for their programs,” Griffith said.
The quarantine is a threat to his business, he added, saying state and federal regulators need to provide financial assistance to deal with the economic hardship the infestation has created.
California accounts for 60% of the total U.S. citrus production, according to the food and agriculture department’s most recent agriculture statistics review.
“While we don’t currently have a figure for current or projected economic impact from this quarantine, we know there will be losses for commercial growers as well as residents who usually sell their citrus locally,” Lyle wrote. “For growers, it’s not just the possibility of lost product that is costly — it’s also the investment in pre- or post-harvest treatments that are required before fruit can move out of the quarantine area.”
There would be related costs among pickers, packers, haulers and sellers, Lyle added.
Meanwhile, residents in the Redlands area “are strongly urged to cooperate” with agricultural officials removing fruit in the quarantine area, the food and agriculture department said in a Jan. 18 news release. The fruit removal is mandatory, the agency said.
Removal is expected to continue until late February. Residents will receive a 48-hour notice prior to fruit removal, the department said.
Redlands properties in the fruit removal zone are located north and south of the 10 Freeway, with a northern boundary of East Highland Avenue, a western boundary at the intersection of Garden and Elizabeth streets, an eastern boundary of Alta Vista Drive, and a southern boundary Silver Leaf Court.
The Oriental fruit fly can take over and inhabit more than 230 kinds of crops, according to San Bernardino County.
Inland Empire residents should remain cautious with fresh citrus, avocados, pomegranates, grapes, vegetables and more. The harm occurs when a female fly lays her eggs inside the fruit. That causes maggots that tunnel throughout the produce, which is why not spreading the pests is vital in the quarantine process.
“We recognize this is a hardship,” Lyle said, “and we appreciate the commitment of those within the quarantine area to work with us to eradicate this infestation as quickly as possible.”